December 19, 2023 • 51 mins
Bear Grylls, the ardent explorer, joins Kevin via iPhone from an island somewhere off the coast of Wales. In this story-filled episode, Kevin shares the most adventurous thing he has ever done, his recent frequent interactions with bears (the animal) and the delicacy of "haggis" vs "scrapple". The two discuss the spirit of adventure, how one becomes a survivalist, and the importance of teaching kids how to fail. They are joined by Paul Gurney who shares why they started BecomingX and the importance of giving people the tools they need to be the best version of themselves.
To learn more and get involved with the BecomingX Foundation, head to BecomingXFoundation.org. To support more initiatives like this program, text 'BACON' to 707070 or head to SixDegrees.Org to learn more.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You know, I was trying to think about the most
adventurous thing I've ever done, and I have to say
that it's probably something that I've done on a set.
I've gone to all different kinds of crazy places with
the gigs that I've had, you know, Whitewater or in
the zero G airplane for about thirteen and all kinds
of exotic locations and stuff like that. But nothing, nothing
(00:25):
that I've done, compares to our guest's life. And I
have to say that this is the first time that
a guest on the Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon podcast
has shown up to the interview soaking wet. But it
makes a lot of sense because today's guest is Bear Grills.
(00:47):
This is a fun one. I'm glad you're here, Bear Grills.
It's so great to meet you. Thank you for being here.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Likewise likewise, so nice to see you. Sorry to be
rushing in late. Normally it's a normally well often it's
quite wind and rainy up here, but I've bought our
middle boy works in a butcher on the mainland which
is over there, so but on a day like this
I have to have.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
To pick him up. I'm a little inflatable.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
So what normally takes me about twenty minutes across like
two miles across the sea there right, Well it's like this.
I mean you can't see him at the moment, but
it's big, old, big old white horses and stuff. So
we both got absolutely submerged. But he's he's in the shower.
I'm in my man cave, which is here to my office.
Never give up, and I'm already all yours are ready
(01:46):
to go.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
So yeah, that's fantastic. I love it. This is this
is this is the best. So just so people know
you're you were on an island in Wales. You're on
your island in Wales.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Yeah. No, we we.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Live on this little twenty acre island. It's about two
miles offshore. We'd put Shara and me and my wife
bought it when we first got married and I was
just leaving the military and we were trying to figure out,
you know, where to live, what to do as a job,
and all of that stuff, and we almost bought this
one bedroom apartment in London that we couldn't really afford.
(02:24):
It was tiny, and a part of my soul was
to go, oh no, this is this is like, come on,
there's gonna.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Be another way.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
And then we found this island for sale. There was
like it was less than the one bedroom apartment in London.
It was on a really short lease. It had no power,
no electricity, no mains water. And we bought it and
just steadily done it up and made a home and
our boys.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
We got three boys that you know Elvis.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
One's grown up now, but it's been a huge, wonderful
part of their life. And we have the wind turbine
powering everything. Oh, I love you are the best. It's
is Shara, Hi, how you doing? Hi?
Speaker 1 (03:02):
To meet you in and out?
Speaker 3 (03:06):
That's as good as your gap for as being in
anything public where she is nice.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
She was clearly interested in meeting me. She was clearly interested.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
She she hates being on anything public, so that's that's
her thing. But anyway, that's home. And how do you
get back after this? How do you get back and
forth to the to the island in a in a
little little inflatable boat with an outboard engine and yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And so you just got completely swamped today coming across.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yeah, Well we have we have he drives a little
old D class lifeboat. Well, you know, one of the
really little kind of kill outboards and they use some
of the on shore rescue stuff. So he's he's seventeen,
he right, he drives out on his own. And then
we have a bigger ribbed you know, rigid inflatabul boats
that we take for you know, some lies and all
(04:00):
that stuff across.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
And yeah, then we have.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
These which are pretty fun as well, the flight boards,
you know, the flight board hydrofoils.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Oh sure, they kind of raise up. Yeah, they raise
up out of the water, right right, right right, They must.
They must be kind of difficult than choppy water, though,
are they are they? Yeah? Anyway, they're they're they're they're
probably they look like they're impossible. I mean, are they
really hard to learn how to use? I've never used one.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Well, that they are, they're hard.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
They're one of those things on Instagram when you see
people bombing around on them. They look so cool and
you know, the music is playing and then the reality
is cut to me and it's like endless wife outs
drinking a lot of the North Wales state.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Well, this is not a disappointing way to meet you.
It almost it almost feels like it's it's it's almost
it's almost hard to believe that this isn't a setup,
since you're out there with the elements, you're running around
on an island and having to get go back and
forth in a swamped dinghy. It's it's it's absolutely perfect.
(05:09):
You know. I was thinking about, uh, when you were
when you first came in and you were here for
just a moment, I assumed connecting it. I was about
to say, hey bear, hey bear. And I had this
connection to it because we have a farm out in
the in the country, and just recently we've had this
kind of influx of bears, so I've been running into
(05:30):
bears fairly frequently. And and and the other night, my
wife and I were walking and uh, and there was
a bear looking right at us. And I was like,
hey bear, Hello bear, Hello bear. And she's like, what
are you doing? And I said, That's what I've I've
always heard you're supposed to do. I don't know, So
you tell me, is is that correct? Am I? Am?
I a bear? Correctly?
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Yeah? You so?
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Well?
Speaker 3 (05:52):
So what do you have black beds around you?
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Black bears? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, I.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Think with I think with with black beds made yourself. Uh,
you know what do they say, brown, lie down, black,
fight back. So if you do get you know, if
you do get, you know, approached by black babes, make
lots of noise, make itself big and scary, and generally
they're they're back away.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
But like like humans.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Nobody likes to be disturbed when they're eating, when their young,
or fornicating, you know, those things back away. I'm surprised
that yet I did. It's a good one. Brown, lie down, back,
fight black, fight bag. My head is full of so
many little phrases like this that Mike the Sharha who
you it's all running away from the camera, says, your
(06:39):
head's full of all this information that nobody's had this
this's irrelevant, and I well, it's irrelevant unless your life
is on the.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Line, you know.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
There there you go. Let me ask Let me ask
you about your I'm sure a lot of people ask
your first name. Let me ask you about your second name.
The the spelling of which is it's an unusual name.
I've never I've never seen it before. Is it is
it Welsh or or or Gaelic or what.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Kind of way it's actually actually Scottish? Is my ancestry
is in the Highlands Jesse. We only found out about recently.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
We did a did a.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
BBC show called who Do You Think You Are? Which
is basically trace. Yeah, there you go.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
But it's funny because for years I've privately at home.
I never do it public because my family give me
too much greef. But I always wear a kilt at
home and I love it. I just you know, run
around here and you know, shirt off. I've got old
canvas kilts and I love it. It just feels free
and and but my family have given me grief for
years and actually so to find that actually I've got
(07:47):
this strong Scottish Highland live and also we met sharam
Me met all those years ago in the mountains in Scotland,
so it feels like full circle it.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Do you have a Do you have a fondness for
hagis or or or no?
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Well, actually I do. I love haggis.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
I mean haggis essentially is amazing. It's like all the
awful and uh you know, from from the from the animals.
So I'm I'm very into like liver and kidney and
all that stuff. I think it's so so good for
youidering a.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Lot of the stuff that you've eaten in the wild,
I'd say that's a step up for sure.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Yeah, it's a step up, and you can you can
actually make haggards taste pretty good. I mean, the idea
of it's not very nice because there's sort of stuffed
to signed sheeps in it and stuff with all the
lung and heart and all of that. But actually it's
pretty tasty.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Well, have you ever tasted scrapple?
Speaker 3 (08:42):
No, tell me about that.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Scrapple is something that you really only have to be
from Pennsylvania to know. I grew up in Philadelphia, and
I think it was a an Amish dish and it's
it's kind of similar to haggison that you don't really
want to know what's in it. It's I think it's
every single part of the pig or whatever you're not,
(09:06):
whatever you're is left over once you've gotten the cuts
off a pig, ground up and mixed with corn meal
and then sliced and then fried in butter and served
with apple butter. Yeah, like an apple kind of thing.
I think, Yeah, I think you'd love it.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
But I think a lot of these things that are
so delicious because you always had that frying them in
butters always good. They cook it in blood a lot
of the time, which which in terms of survival is
a bad as nutrient dense as you're gonna get. So yeah, yeah,
And as you said, a lot worse things in the
wild that I've had to eat haggis has or scrapple,
(09:47):
scrumple would.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Be would be dreamy.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
I'm not familiar with scrumple notter.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
What was your one called?
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Oh, scrapple, scrapple scrap I thought you were introducing me
to a new one. Well, you know, I uh, I,
I mean, I don't know if this has ever come
across your radar, but I have been asked a couple
of times to do various you know shows with you,
and it's never really worked out. It's it's always been, uh,
(10:16):
just a schedule thing that's been following at a weird
time or whatever, which is which is regrettable to me
because I I I love what you do, and I
love I mean, I love the stuff without the celebrities
as well. But I mean, I think it's also you know,
kind of interesting when you see people put into those situations.
And one of the things that I'm always really struck
with is that for us, we live this life of
(10:41):
pretending to be something that we're not a lot of times,
you know what I mean, that's that That's actually why
I became an actor was because I was like, I
didn't really want to be this kid all the time
that who was me? I wanted to you know, be
someone something else, experience something else, you know, have a
have an adventure that was a pretend adventure, and that
(11:06):
is a very different thing from having an adventure that
isn't a real adventure, which is what what you have
spent your life doing. And I'm just wondering what it
is has that it's drawn you to that that's that's
that's that's been the driving force all these years, pushing
yourself farther and farther and farther.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
You're so sweet. First of all, you are an adventurer,
you really are.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
You know, adventure is a state of mind, and look
at how you've lived your life, and I think you'd
be first of all, you'd may also make an amazing
running wild guest. We've we've been wanted to shoot with
you for ages because I think your story, your resonate
is is powerful, you know, and how you started as
a kid and all of that stuff, and you're upbringing
and you're always honest, you know, whenever I see you interviewed,
(11:53):
you're always heart on the sleeve, you know, and you
don't do a lot of those sort of things. So
you know, and we have met guess who are in
your sort of ilk, you know, people who are quite
private but have amazing stories and a raw talent and
a big heart. And so yeah, I always think also
the right time comes for these adventures.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
As you say, your schedule's be busy.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
I'm always trusting that the right time people comes and
you never need to force any of that. But in
terms of in terms of my stuff, I mean, unlike you,
I didn't have very many talents growing up, you know.
Mine was mine wasn't really considered a talent. I was
just a kid that could climb up everything at school
and wasn't particularly brilliant or sport or academic or anything.
(12:38):
But I love the outdoors. It was a safe space
for me, and I don't know. My dad was a
former Romarine commando and I spent so much time with
him as a kid just out doing stuff. Always we'd
climb together a lot We're always making things and tinkering
around and figuring things out. And I don't know he's
(12:58):
no longer alive. He died far too young in my life.
But I look back and as a dad now to
three boys, you know, I kind of wish I've got
a chance to say thank you to so much to him,
because he really instilled in me at such a young
age to go for things and to fail and fail lots,
and be kind.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
And be a good friend of people. But you don't
have to be a superstar at school.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
You know, You've got to have a resilient spirit and
find something you love and however quirky it is. And
in my world, my stuff was quite quirky. It was like,
you know, nobody did adventure stuff or survival stuff. It
was like, you know, unusual, But I loved that, and
then I think it was a natural step to the military.
I spent five years and with the militaryish I loved,
(13:44):
and my job there became teaching a lot of the
combat survival and I don't know if somebody could say
you'd have a job that involved doing everything that I
loved since I was a kid, and I've done through that.
My army days. I was thought, wow, you know, that's
all I've ever wanted. I really thought it would lead
to a particularly brilliant career as such. And you know,
(14:05):
but I've always tried like my dad, who say, as
a kid, just follow what you love and be resilient,
be the most enthusiastic and dogged person you know, and
the rest will follow, you know. And I try and
say the same to our boys nowadays. You know, it's
like the middle one today going off to work in
the butcher's getting up early, getting on time, he has
(14:25):
his commuters, you know, twenty minutes of four six big waves.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
He arrived soaking wet, smile on his face, you know.
And I couldn't be proud of that. I love it.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
And as you know, in your life, you've half of
this showing up on time and being super enthusiastic and
doing your best, as the Scouts say that, do your best,
which is such a brilliant and powerful motto for young people.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
And having that resilient spirit.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
So not rocket science, you know, but that's been I
suppose the background to my stuff.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Now when you we mentioned mentioned your dad, and you
mentioned the time that you spent, I'm often thinking about myself,
my relationship to my parents and what I held on to.
And I think I've been mostly in in my life
(15:18):
as a parent, uh, thinking about the things that I
wanted to do differently. Not that they were bad, they
were great. I loved them. I think that was a
fantastic family to grow up in. But there were things
that you know, Uh, I think, especially with my dad,
where we're kind of I wanted to do it differently
(15:43):
in this generation. Do you ever are you one hundred
percent like your dad was to you or are there
any kind of differences that you've learned from from uh,
from your time with him and that you that you
pass on to the time with the boys.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Yeah, I think and see, you know, family, family is
always tricky, you know. And I always think families a
bit like fudge, mostly sweet, but with a few nuts
thrown in. And uh, you know, we we all have
a few nuts and and and no parentsy journey is easy.
And and you know, I look with my dad, he
had a he had a much colder father.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
So my grandfather to hit, his father was much was much.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
More distant, and uh, and I think he was you know,
he's just at that generation where they were never held
or hugged or told that they loved them. And I
think for my dad, he really wanted to do that differently,
and he really did. And he really was that sort
of cozy one who was always I mean, I remember
so much as a kid, I got picked to be
the linesman of the football team under eight.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
You know, I wasn't in the team.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
I was just my job was to bring on the
oranges and uh and you know, and it was winter
and no parents were really there. But the only dad
on the touch line was my dad. It was like
it was almost embarrassing. I was like, oh no, you know,
it's like I haven't even got a role on this team.
He's the one that's there and I carry on the
oranges a halftime he'd be cheering me on, you know.
(17:07):
So I look back and I think, even though he died,
you know, far too young, I'm so grateful for that
example and kindness and coziness and connection.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
That he gave me.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
And and you know, it's what I've always really tried
to bring with with my family. I mean, I failed
a lot. I think, you know, parenting is a humbling journey,
isn't It's all of us, and we get so much
of it wrong. And if you meet people who think
they've got it all right that generally so far away
from it.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
You make a very good point, which is that you know,
I for for both my mom and my dad for
a long time because my my parents were very old,
well relatively old, when I was bored, because I was
the youngest of six in my there was eighteen years
between me and my eldest siblings, so they were really
(18:02):
you know, I was in the mistake category. And you know,
I didn't know my grandparents, so I didn't think much
about my grandparents, and I never saw my parents' relationship
to my grandparents had I had one grandmother that I
(18:25):
sort of knew a little bit, and I think that
in understanding my parents, and it took me. I had
to stop and jump back one generation and try to
really imagine what their lives were, and it gave me
a lot of perspective I think on them, and that frankly,
(18:52):
what I thought to myself was, well, they're doing a
lot better than their parents doing so are doing so
so you know, if you can, if you can just
you know, try to take the lessons of history and
just be a little bit better. Whatever it is, loving,
or or understanding or or nurturing, then you're ahead of
the game for sure.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
And how often hard that bringing lead to brilliant lives
as well. There you look at you, you know, I
mean you're saying, you're saying the last of the six
and you know that mistake. I mean, out of out
of those words come so many brilliant, genius, kind incredible
human beings and h and I love that. I think
(19:34):
your life is an example of that. And and and
good for you. You know, I think I've never met
a strong person who's had an easy pass and and
you know, so those times, I think it's important not
to sugarcoaches. And that's everything's great because actually those hard
those hard times are what also make us and uh
and yeah, good for you. And and also you're honesty.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
Hate so you know, you one of the youngest people
to climb Everest and uh, I mean, and that's just
that's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of
the kind of physical challenges that that you've had. It's
it's mind blowing. And I mean, do you feel I
(20:21):
know that this is it's it's kind of what you
do now right, it's it's it's, it's it's it's it's
part of your how you make a living. But I
mean you feel a certain kind of pressure to keep
upping the anti or or is that no longer really
a focus? I mean, clearly you don't have to have
much left to prove. I guess yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
I say jams. Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Maybe, And I think we go through phases in our
lives that we wear different things drive us. I think
in the early years, I was really I really wanted
to make my mark, you know, and I did. I
was out to prove something. Probably, I mean I look
back and I think probably was willing to risk it
all for a mountain in a way I probably wouldn't
be now, you know.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
And I hope.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
That's a positive progress, because you know, the journey of
life is you don't ever have to prove through stuff
is to anyone.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
You know.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
It's like life is a gift, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
And it's about connections and friendships and living with that
adventure spirit and all we do. And that covers so much,
you know, work and relationships and how we.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Tackle lives and our own goals and ambitions.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
And I hope. Now I do things much more from
that drive. You know that I really love it. I
mean it almost feels much more full circle now in
the sense that as a kid I loved adventure, wasn't
out to prove an apart from I just wanted to
be close to my dad and be outside, And in
a way I feel the same thing now. I love
the crew we work with. I love having adventures with
(21:51):
my family and great friends. You know, if I could
do all of these things without the TV cameras, to
be honest, that would be heaven for me. I mean
that the TV and the filming side of it is
what I struggle most with, and it's a It's like
a running joke with our crew. It's like the reason
all of your shows work bears what they say, and
the reason they're called running everything, running wild, right, is
(22:13):
that you're always running away from and there is an
element to that. Really, I'm much more of an introverted person.
I don't I don't like the cameras. I really don't.
I love the adventure and I love the guys we
do it with, and we go and have these incredible
intense sort of you know, life on the line moments
and I love that.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
But I struggle with the filming side of it. And
it's just always been like that.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
And I've learned now not to not to sort of
not to apologize for that, because in a way, that
tension has been what's made it work. You know, we
never do second take of anything. It never feels like
we're trying to create anything. It's like all like, does
not turn the camera and follow and then see where
it leads?
Speaker 1 (22:54):
No, it does not. And that's that's part of why
it's it's it's so infectious. And and also I think
that whether you like it or not, I mean, you
just some do have you know, you have a quality
that the camera really really likes. You may not want
to be in front of it, but there's a there's
(23:17):
a that there's something that's that's almost intangible, uh there,
it's something that you know, we I think I think
you can get better at I mean, I feel like
if you know, on my side of things, I mean,
you know, I don't I don't know that I really
understood the camera when I was first in front of
it because I was a theater guy, you know. But
(23:39):
but I do think that you can get better at it.
But but I think that there has to be something
that the camera a person, that this camera kind of
sees past the naked eye and sees an inherent positive
energy or or whatever the energy happens to be, which
it really does with you.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
It's funny. Though you're very kind. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
I think by the way, I think, I think, I
think a lot about the crew though, you know, being
a filmmaker, you know you you can't help, but think,
I mean, they're right along there with you. I mean
you must have have you been working with them for
a long time, yeah, forever?
Speaker 2 (24:21):
And that the better, bigger, stronger, nice Really, I mean
they are that they are the through unsung heroes in
my life. You know, we've been together from day one.
A lot of them were ex military guys that I
bought on right at the beginning, and I knew that
if we're going to do this journey, I really it's
not that I want these guys beside me.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
It's like I need these guys beside me.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
And there have been such a rock and a strength
and a support and friend to me through so much.
And and also that yeah, they are incredible in their
own right.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
They really are they carry so much gear? They do
everything I do.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
I'm sure changes, you know, according to the situation, but
like how big a crew is it and what I'm
curious about the I mean it's I mean, I know
sometimes you have a you use a go pro right
sometimes that you have, but then.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
Go pros definitely changed our filming life because the early
day is a man versus while if we wanted, like
you know, it's drones as well. It's the other thing
has changed our life. I mean beforehand, when we're in
a jungle, it'd be like would be let loose, like
three of us, four of us and uh, and then
they'd go, we just make sure one thirty today and
and you know six am tomorrow you're at this lat
(25:34):
long clearing is we're going to do a pass at
a helicopter and we want to pick you up as
you're moving.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
And it was like, you know, super difficult.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
Sure, But now now with drones and go pros, it's
made our life ever easier. I mean, it's allowed us
to push the boundaries and what we do. But with
Running Wild, the team hasn't grown much.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
I mean there's.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Probably two carramings or seven two cameras to sound, and
then we have a we have a like a safety
guy who's one of our who's one of my guys
really who will be alongside each of them. So that's
like six or seven eight maybe, But we never have
a director, you know, we have we really don't we
(26:12):
We kind of we have people call themselves producers. Were
really there one of us. We're all in the same game.
We're all we're all doing the same to helping each other.
They're carrying kids as much as anyone, you know.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
They they help interview the guests quite a lot. They
do help with that.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
But you know, we really keep it fluid and loose
and fun and light, and I think the energy comes
from that, and the guests often say, wow, we really
kind of I thought it'd be like this, but I
wondered would there be some craft services behind the scenes.
We have some you know, much more of a plan
and much more of an idea for what we're doing
in like thirty people moving and it's like it really
(26:50):
is a coil of rope and a small gang and
off we go and figuring it out on the move.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
I don't need to ask about the thread count in
the on the on the in the bed in the hotel.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Yeah yeah, I mean we try and look after people
before and after, but for the forty eight hours you're out,
it's but you know, what's the experience, isn't it? And
I think for people like you, you know, you're you're
your top of your game, your your your top of
that tree. And you don't need none of our Running
World guests need the money or the fame. They don't
need that. They want something else. They want the the
(27:20):
experience and insight into kind of some of the skills,
into the wild places, and and that dynamic with the crew,
and and it creates often really lovely friendships, and I
love that. I think it's very bonding. When you go
through intense experiences, you know where your life is on
the line, and you have to.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
Trust each other. And I love that.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
I never take that for granted. But in terms of
the crew, yeah, you are right. They are the remarkable heroes.
And I love hearing them get the right deserved accolade.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Oh man, I can't imagine. I can't imagine being on
their crew. And and you know when we when you
when we hang up today, you're not gonna shoot something today.
I don't think you're at home. What do you do?
What's what's your what's your what's your what's your day
off look like?
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Well, you know, it's always quite physical on the island
because you know, just getting supplies is hard work. You know,
it's as I say, it's you know, it's two miles
just to the mainland and there's quad bikes and there.
You know, if it's low tide, that's a mile then
up the low tide beast to get to the frack
to then leads you to the village. And you know, say,
everybody's quite physical already.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
But I don't know.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
I like to I like to train in the morning
and nothing crazy. I like to be outside but for
half an hour and I do a mixer stretching and
I have my pill up bar and you know, the
dogs chase me around and I do work out and
then I run down. I dive in the sea every
day and then you know, then it's kind of just life.
I mean with I do. I don't do very much
press stuff. I actually don't do many of these sort
(28:55):
of things. I definitely I'm not a sort of I
don't And there's no filming when we're not filming.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
You know, that definitely is a no note for me.
But you're just normal life as a.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Family and bringing up teenagers and you know, definitely not
a there's no heroics at home.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
Yeah, I've low down the pecking order.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
You know, You've got the dogs and chickens, the cat.
So yeah, definitely very pretty regular life, apart from the
place we live, which is maybe a little bit more irregular.
And I try and do our filming in term times,
so when the boys are at school, I'm away and
I try and pack it in. You know, we'll go
(29:34):
for ten days and we'll do a couple of episodes
back to back, and there's quite a lot of travel
often involved with that. But you know, we're pretty efficient
now and I've learned to One of the reasons I
fought hard in the early days to be able to
make our own shows and produce our own shows was
as much about just being able to schedule things when
we wanted them, you know, with the crew we wanted, sure,
(29:55):
and that's made a big difference because you know, otherwise wins,
but your family doesn't always win, and at the end
of the day, that's not a win. So I sort
of learned early on just keep try, try with all
your heart to keep family first, to work second. And
I know, I know, we all know that, but it's
sometimes hard to do that.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
And sure it is, Sure it is and actually is.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
And I've failed a bit along the way, you know,
when they were younger. I think that's probably a way
too much, you know. But now I'm really proud that
I am there, and I am sort of there for
the important stuff, and all of us could be five
percent more successful, ten percent more successful, but I really
try consciously it see that family stuff first, and I
think if that's happy, then other stuff follows, doesn't It
(30:40):
sure does.
Speaker 4 (30:47):
If you are inspired by today's episode, please join us
in supporting six degrees dot org by texting the word
Bacon to seven zero seven zero seven zero. Your gift
empowers us to continue to produce programs highlight the incredible
work of everyday heroes, well also enabling us to provide
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(31:08):
text b A c N to seven zero seven zero
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Speaker 1 (31:19):
I think we should bring Paul and Paul Gurney from
becoming X would you like to join us. Hey, Kevin,
I'm great. I'm great. How are you doing? Whereabouts are you? Paulman?
Speaker 5 (31:35):
Doing really well? Yes, I'm in I'm in London. I
can see from bears weather. We're sharing the gray Skies.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
Yeah, doing well? Now, how did you guys meet?
Speaker 5 (31:48):
So actually met Bear through a filming opportunity. We brought
Bet in to do one of the very first films
that we did as Becoming X. So Bear and I
have since set up the organization called Becoming X. But
it's all about helping people realize their potential. So it's
about giving people those really important skills and opportunities to
(32:08):
go out and succeed in life. We've already done a
couple of pilots and Bear luckily was one of the
very first people we interviewed. And it's all about sharing
the real insights of how people got to where they
got to, the real story behind the celebrity and success.
And you know, Bear being the star that the years
saw the vision of what we want to do. We
(32:30):
set up together and that's the that's the big game.
How can we really help people succeed and how can
we help them thrive in life?
Speaker 1 (32:39):
And you yourself was a bit of an adventurer. I think,
is that correct.
Speaker 5 (32:45):
Well, I've rewind ten years, yes, and that was really
part of the genesis of becoming X. You know, yeah,
I've got to do some fun stuff over the years.
I've raised from land to the North Pole, sort of
five hundred miles across the frozen Arctic minus fifty degrees,
done the marathon discables. So six marathons and six days
(33:06):
through the Sahara climbs of the highest mountains in the world.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
Hang On, hang on, hang on. The marathon is a
it's six marathons in six days.
Speaker 5 (33:14):
Yeah, it's called the dis It's picture You're.
Speaker 1 (33:17):
A running marathon. I just want to clarify what we're
talking about here.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
It's a running marathon.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (33:22):
So it's I mean the story behind this and this
leads into Bigcami X. I mean I was at a
time in my life where I wanted to really push
the boundaries of what was possible and really try to understand,
you know, what are our limits? What can we achieve
as individuals? And I've already done some adventures, We've done
some stuff. I was just curious, you know, what are
(33:44):
my own boundaries and I found myself signing up to
do the world's toughest race, this race from land to
the North Pole, and it was in doing that and
everyone said to me, you know, poor, you get a die.
You know, you're not you're not a in order of adventure.
You don't have a minute.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
That's a running that's a running race, or so well,
what what runs snowshoe?
Speaker 5 (34:03):
Yeah, you'd be doing well to run. I mean, you've
got eighty kilograms of gear behind you, You've got big
snow boots on, so you're basically going as fast as
you can, trying not to fall through the ice, trying
not to get hypothermia, frostbite, attacked by a polar bear.
So you've got all You've got all that. But I'd
signed up to this race and it was a two year
(34:23):
journey to get.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
By the way Berry, you didn't mention, you didn't. You
told me, uh, black fight back round, lie down, but
you didn't mention white bear as well.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
Keep away from them. Yeah, unbelievable, you know, yeah, the
bear be castles.
Speaker 5 (34:42):
That's exactly right. You you know, they're they're beautiful, incredible animals,
but you know they can run as fast as horses.
Over a very short distance. They can smell you from
miles away. They're enormous, you know, hundreds and hundreds of kilograms,
and yeah, pretty scary. But Kevin, I'd signed up to this.
Everyone said to me, you know, Paul, you're gonna die
(35:02):
because you don't have for these skills. And ironically, and
Bear I'll probably never told you this. Ironically, you've got
to be like Bear Grills or Serunal Fines or someone
with real experience at this. And I was like, well,
I'm just prepared to learn, and I'm prepared to do
what I can. Because I was telling people I'm doing
the world's toughest race. Someone said to me, you know, oh,
so you're doing the marathon day sup. I was like, no,
(35:24):
I'm doing this race to the North Pole. And I'd
heard of the marathon diss up as I said, it's
six mouths and six days through the Sahara Desert, extraordinary heat,
soft sand, very tough race. And I go on the
website and lo and behold it's also described as the
world's toughest race. So I thought, well, hang on, you
can't have two world's toughest races. Let's try and which
one's harder and suddenly found myself doing, you know, two
(35:47):
of the toughest races on Earth in the same year,
and realizing actually that literally only a handful of people
had ever done these two and suddenly here's a guy
with next to no background in this stuff trying to
do these two adventures. So it was really through that
that I learned what it actually takes to do to
do really difficult things, which is what kind of led
(36:08):
me to do becoming X. How can we equip other
people to help them know that it's not about what
you know, It's really about the attitudes that you bring,
the effort that you're prepared to put into it, the determination,
the resilience, the relationships you build along the way, because
those are things that help people succeed, and sadly, we
don't see young people learning those things. So that's why
(36:29):
we said I'm becoming.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
X correctly from go ahead, go ahead, Bert, please no.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
I gotta say Paul I always recognized as a great
adventure spirit, you know when we say adventures a state
of mind. That the minute I'm met him and heard
some of his staff. Also, you've got to remember his
he was a corporate guy. He was just working. Where
are we at the time? Were your centur at the time.
Speaker 5 (36:50):
Yeah, fifteen years Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
You know, and he was sort of taking all of
his banking up all this holiday to go and do
these epic races, almost dying and he's coming back sort
of covered and just blistered some blood and like you know,
you were.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
You were raw grit that got you through those things.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
And I think as soon as we met, I thought,
here's somebody's definitely got something different. But also, bubb all, Paul,
you had a heart for sharing some of it, sharing
some of the stuff that actually what can help people
get ahead. And you know, when you don't pay a
lip service when you say you wanted to find out
what the boundaries.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
Were, you really lived that.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
And I think what's become so powerful now with what
you've done is say, hold on, let's let's actually get
under the skin with success some of these people. We've
made films with that. So often you just hear the headlines,
don't you that somebody has won an Oscar or you know,
been chosen by NASA as an astronaut, or become the
Nobel Prize winner. But on the back of that, and
(37:48):
your life is a testament that my life's a testament to.
This is an awful lot of failure. You know, we
fail so many times, and it's those stories that actually
are the interesting ones. And I think so many the
kids at school never get to realize how important failure is,
how important it is, how relatable it is when you
see these people that you know, Kevin, you've experienced some
(38:10):
of this as well. You know there where we build
our muscle, aren't they. So that was a vision of
becoming X and pulling me coming together, say let's actually
try and articulate some of your journey, some of my journey,
and actually make it tangible for people, you know, every day,
people in schools growing up. The stuff they don't teach
you in school, you know, the way from the academics
(38:30):
actually one of the life skills that can really give
people an edge and demystify this whole thing of what
it takes.
Speaker 3 (38:37):
To succeed and all.
Speaker 2 (38:38):
You've been so brilliant, you know, for me, it's so
nice having you on this and being able to actually
say publicly what a brilliant guy you have been, how
resilient and positive and worked your way through so many challenges,
setting up becoming X and the foundation through all this
COVID time and you've come out of it shining and
that it's doing so well, and that's down to all resilience,
(39:00):
and I admire that so much.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
By the way, thanks you for pointing that out. I mean,
that's really you know that that's kind of the essence
of this of this podcast is we we we frame
it as as as an opportunity to talk to famous people,
but it really is about those people highlighting and giving
a voice to the people who are running these foundations
(39:25):
and are doing the great work on the ground. So
bye bye bye. By saying what you said, that's exactly
kind of the essence of what we're trying to highlight
here in this this podcast. You know, you said something interesting.
I wonder if part of Becoming X is trying to
(39:45):
define for people exactly what success is. Because when you
look at what you guys have done, or what some
of the you know, some of the people that have
been interviewed for becoming ACCEPT done, this is like the
very very cinnical the top of the literally on the
top of the mountain them Bear's case, or you know,
(40:06):
you know, finishing six marathons in it a row. These
are to a lot of people completely unsurmountable goals and
you kind of think to yourself, well, if I can't
do that, then I'm not going to be success. So
can you speak a little bit to what you know?
How how what the messages in terms of how one
defines success for oneself. Yeah?
Speaker 5 (40:27):
Absolutely. And to set the context of this, you know,
we didn't want this to be about our opinion of
what it really says. He wanted this to be evidence based.
It show as many stories as we could. So we've
gone out now in films about sixty of the world's
highest performers. You have had presidents and Peace Prize winners,
the ten Olympic gold medalists, Oscar winners, but also a
(40:48):
whole lot of people from really tough backgrounds who are
not famous but have gone through everything from homelessness, being
in prison and gone out and done amazing things. So
our idea of success, you know, so often into society
is defined by the job title, how much money you've got,
you know, what car you drive, And for us, that
is not what success is about. Successes book is about
waking up in the morning being proud of what you do.
(41:10):
You know, being able to look after your family, being
able to support in your community, and having that sense
that you're doing something that's fulfilling. So we want to
tell kids that, you know, this is not about how
many likes you get on social media. It's about the
impact you can have in the world and doing stuff
that challenges you so that you're always learning. So, actually,
all the work that we've done and all of these
(41:30):
interviews and people want to see them actually on our
website becoming x dot com, all available, made available for free.
You know you'll hear what it takes to succeed. And
we took about four things when we talk about the skills,
the knowledge, the attitudes and relationships that you need to
thrive in life. And you know, we've done all of
this work and we've looked at all of the other
(41:51):
bits of research out there, and it's so obvious to
us that education has just got a change at the
moment it doesn't work and help young people. And the
truth is it's not really changed much in the last
hundred years, and we're still focused on teaching particularly young
people knowledge. You know, what can you know about a subject,
what can you recall in a two week exam period.
(42:14):
Now we're living at a time when we've all got
mobile phones, we've all got you know now AI and
chat GPT. The things that will help young people is
actually the skills they have. It's the attitudes they bring,
the ambition, the determination, the resilience and the relationships that
they can bring. Those are the things that help them.
There's no lessons on that kids aren't learning that they'll
go through, you know, thirteen sixteen years of education and
(42:37):
not be taught how to do with failure. They not
be taught how to continually work on something, and they'll
not be taught how to work well in their team.
So that's what we really want to do. How can
we help people learn those critical things that will help
them get ahead of the life.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
I would think also it's also you know, at least
not that everybody has to know it right out of
the gate, but choosing something that you have a you
have a skill for choosing something that you care about
and something that I mean, I don't know that all
of us are going to have a job that there
(43:14):
we're going to love as much as I love my job,
for instance, I mean I love my job, you know,
but I do think that you can even if you
don't love your job, you can still find other things
that give you pleasure. As we were talking about before
Bear outside of your actual work. You know, things that
(43:37):
like whatever it happens to be family or I don't know,
cooking or the yoga or sports or you know what
I mean, there's a million, a million things. So I
think that this these kinds of leffons. I mean, I
know for myself, I come up through the public school
system in Philadelphia. I think the teachers are absolute hero
(44:00):
was uh for for what for what teachers have to
do and go through every day? Uh you know, it's it.
They it for very very little money and very very
little uh praise, and uh you know there's it's a
really really hard gig. And I admire what they do.
(44:20):
But in terms of like, yeah, I mean in terms
of like the curriculum though, you know, it was mostly
kind of knowledge based. I had a couple of teachers
that were very very inspirational and had made me think
about things that I hadn't really thought about in a
different kind of way. But there was a lot of
stuff that was you know, sort of dry and and
I wasn't a good student. I mean, I I don't
(44:44):
read very well and I can't add, and you know,
so it was school was something that I looked at
as a place to leave.
Speaker 2 (44:55):
Well said, what set what set you on that part then?
And where did you find this the courage to think, actually,
this is what I love and I'm good, I'm actually
going to try and.
Speaker 3 (45:04):
Do this as a child.
Speaker 1 (45:05):
I don't know, man, I just I never had a plan.
B I knew I wanted to be an actor, but really,
to tell you the truth, before I wanted to be
an actor. I wanted to be famous and wealthy and
get girls. But but it was acting that sort of
I thought would I took a class and I kind
of fell in love with it. But I was probably
about twelve, and then I knew I would just count
(45:29):
the days until high school was over. And then I
was out left home in seventeen, and you know, I
was ready to go. But you know, I don't know
that necessarily everybody has that kind of clarity. So is
part of the program to you know, kind of give
people the skills to figure out what it is that
(45:52):
they might want to do with their lives.
Speaker 2 (45:54):
Yeah, it was so I see, Yeah, sorry, no, it's
just going to say, I think you know, you're right.
Everybody might have that clarity. But I think you can
empower kids to have the aspiration to not to settle,
then to actually find something that they really love, you know,
and we might not always hit that, but I think
giving kids permission to like teach them how do you
(46:18):
build dreaps?
Speaker 3 (46:18):
How do you set goals? How do you how do
you explore what you love?
Speaker 1 (46:22):
You know?
Speaker 2 (46:22):
These are such key conversations. I mean, one percent of people,
like you might have that clear goal. Most people you've
got You've got to be freed up, haven't you to
kind of try different things and to fail? And you know,
how can you do that without the failing?
Speaker 3 (46:36):
And I think sort of.
Speaker 2 (46:37):
Kids get pushed into what they should be doing or
their parents want them to do, and is so empowering
when young people can be told, actually the teachers now
saying to me, what do I what would you?
Speaker 3 (46:49):
What really excites you?
Speaker 2 (46:50):
You know, maybe there is a career in that or
maybe you know, and it's that free thinking that it's
never really articulated for young people.
Speaker 3 (46:58):
But I do think you're right.
Speaker 2 (46:59):
Also, the teachers are such heroes and it isn't in
a way the teacher's job, because they're battling. They're in
a job, they're badling. You know, they're doing their best
to serve their community, serve their class, earn a living,
do their best, make a difference, and as you say,
aren't always paid brilliantly and they're always often on the
back foot and therefore becoming exit. The vision was try
(47:21):
and step into that gap a little bit and resource
teachers to be able to be that person and then
be that inspiration to young kids to help fire a
whole load of Kevin Bacon's out there in the world
to find what.
Speaker 1 (47:35):
They tell me what does on a on a on
a just a basic function of function function or basis
what what what does becoming action do? And and and
and and and also tell me how people can get
involved and help and learn about it, et cetera.
Speaker 5 (47:56):
Yeah, absolutely, so a few different things. So, first, we
have a platform, an education platform for schools and for
parents that allows them to essentially teach this stuff kind
of ready to go lessons that they can deliver in school.
So we want to teach your kids how to work
well as a team. You've got a plug and play lesson.
You know, Bear introduces them all. We have insights from
(48:17):
different people, you know, so if it's a lesson, if
you want to do a lesson with your kid on
you know, discipline, well hey you've got Bear introducing it.
You might have some insights from Rodern Federer, right, You'll
get that kind of that kind of insights from people.
But it's also backed by real evidence, so really really
high quality teaching content. So that's kind of the education side.
(48:38):
We also do a lot of work with companies as well,
supporting the kind of building the next generation of leaders
who are inspired to build great teams.
Speaker 3 (48:48):
To have an impact on what they do.
Speaker 5 (48:50):
And thirdly, we know we're also really proud of the
social impact work we do. You know, Bear has been
out to Kiev recently to meet President Zelenski. We've just
built an amazing platform for you Ukrainians. So we're trying
to support the seven million Ukrainian refugees at the moment,
but also really excited to build another platform for refugees
in the UK. So we're really just looking at all
(49:11):
these different groups to say, how can we equip them,
how can we give them the opportunity, how can we
give them the skills. So really that's our big goal,
you know, different audiences and different ways to get involved.
Speaker 1 (49:23):
Amazing. That sounds amazing, and how can people help and
how can people learn about it? This is the this
is the moment for the card that action.
Speaker 5 (49:32):
Yeah, so I think listen a few things. I think
if you're in education becoming x dot com slash education,
you know, there's a way that immediately your school can
start teaching this, or if your school, if this isn't
on the agenda for the school at all, you can
do this as a parent. I think if you're a
big you know, international film star Kevin and you want
to do a film with us, you know, always great.
(49:52):
We want to have people tell their real story. I
mean that's been one of the great privileges of this
is having so many inspiring people join us and tell
a story that other people don't know. They were so
empowering for young people in particular to hear the you know,
the stars they see on TV. They weren't born talented.
You know, these are people that had to work in it,
that have failed, that have just invested so much time.
Speaker 1 (50:15):
Well, thank you guys, Bear Grills, Paul Gurney Becoming X.
It's been so fun talking to you Bear from an island,
Paul from your very cozy office, temperature controlled. It's been
great meeting both of you. I'm super impressed with everything
(50:35):
that you're doing. And you know, keep up the great work.
Speaker 2 (50:40):
Yeah, then you're you're a star. Thank you for having
a son. And yeah, likewise, back at you. Keep up
making a difference and we'll get it together.
Speaker 3 (50:48):
For running wild one time.
Speaker 1 (50:50):
Yeah, and yeah, I.
Speaker 3 (50:51):
Would love to keep the Lincoln.
Speaker 1 (50:52):
I would love to Yeah, sure, for sure.
Speaker 3 (50:55):
Thank you, God blessed. Thank you guys.
Speaker 1 (51:01):
Hey, guys, thanks for listening to another episode of Six
Degrees with Kevin Bacon. If you want to learn more
about Becoming X Foundation, head to their website at Becoming
Exfoundation dot org. You can find all the links in
our show notes. You never know who you're gonna get here,
so make sure you subscribe to the show and tune
(51:22):
into the rest of our episodes. You can find Six
Degrees with Kevin Bacon on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you get your podcasts. We'll see you next time.
You know, I was trying to think about the most
adventurous thing I've ever done, and I have to say
that it's probably something that I've done on a set.
I've gone to all different kinds of crazy places with
the gigs that I've had, you know, Whitewater or in
the zero G airplane for about thirteen and all kinds
of exotic locations and stuff like that. But nothing, nothing
(00:25):
that I've done, compares to our guest's life. And I
have to say that this is the first time that
a guest on the Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon podcast
has shown up to the interview soaking wet. But it
makes a lot of sense because today's guest is Bear Grills.
(00:47):
This is a fun one. I'm glad you're here, Bear Grills.
It's so great to meet you. Thank you for being here.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Likewise likewise, so nice to see you. Sorry to be
rushing in late. Normally it's a normally well often it's
quite wind and rainy up here, but I've bought our
middle boy works in a butcher on the mainland which
is over there, so but on a day like this
I have to have.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
To pick him up. I'm a little inflatable.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
So what normally takes me about twenty minutes across like
two miles across the sea there right, Well it's like this.
I mean you can't see him at the moment, but
it's big, old, big old white horses and stuff. So
we both got absolutely submerged. But he's he's in the shower.
I'm in my man cave, which is here to my office.
Never give up, and I'm already all yours are ready
(01:46):
to go.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
So yeah, that's fantastic. I love it. This is this
is this is the best. So just so people know
you're you were on an island in Wales. You're on
your island in Wales.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Yeah. No, we we.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Live on this little twenty acre island. It's about two
miles offshore. We'd put Shara and me and my wife
bought it when we first got married and I was
just leaving the military and we were trying to figure out,
you know, where to live, what to do as a job,
and all of that stuff, and we almost bought this
one bedroom apartment in London that we couldn't really afford.
(02:24):
It was tiny, and a part of my soul was
to go, oh no, this is this is like, come on,
there's gonna.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Be another way.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
And then we found this island for sale. There was
like it was less than the one bedroom apartment in London.
It was on a really short lease. It had no power,
no electricity, no mains water. And we bought it and
just steadily done it up and made a home and
our boys.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
We got three boys that you know Elvis.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
One's grown up now, but it's been a huge, wonderful
part of their life. And we have the wind turbine
powering everything. Oh, I love you are the best. It's
is Shara, Hi, how you doing? Hi?
Speaker 1 (03:02):
To meet you in and out?
Speaker 3 (03:06):
That's as good as your gap for as being in
anything public where she is nice.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
She was clearly interested in meeting me. She was clearly interested.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
She she hates being on anything public, so that's that's
her thing. But anyway, that's home. And how do you
get back after this? How do you get back and
forth to the to the island in a in a
little little inflatable boat with an outboard engine and yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And so you just got completely swamped today coming across.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yeah, Well we have we have he drives a little
old D class lifeboat. Well, you know, one of the
really little kind of kill outboards and they use some
of the on shore rescue stuff. So he's he's seventeen,
he right, he drives out on his own. And then
we have a bigger ribbed you know, rigid inflatabul boats
that we take for you know, some lies and all
(04:00):
that stuff across.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
And yeah, then we have.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
These which are pretty fun as well, the flight boards,
you know, the flight board hydrofoils.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Oh sure, they kind of raise up. Yeah, they raise
up out of the water, right right, right right, They must.
They must be kind of difficult than choppy water, though,
are they are they? Yeah? Anyway, they're they're they're they're
probably they look like they're impossible. I mean, are they
really hard to learn how to use? I've never used one.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Well, that they are, they're hard.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
They're one of those things on Instagram when you see
people bombing around on them. They look so cool and
you know, the music is playing and then the reality
is cut to me and it's like endless wife outs
drinking a lot of the North Wales state.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Well, this is not a disappointing way to meet you.
It almost it almost feels like it's it's it's almost
it's almost hard to believe that this isn't a setup,
since you're out there with the elements, you're running around
on an island and having to get go back and
forth in a swamped dinghy. It's it's it's absolutely perfect.
(05:09):
You know. I was thinking about, uh, when you were
when you first came in and you were here for
just a moment, I assumed connecting it. I was about
to say, hey bear, hey bear. And I had this
connection to it because we have a farm out in
the in the country, and just recently we've had this
kind of influx of bears, so I've been running into
(05:30):
bears fairly frequently. And and and the other night, my
wife and I were walking and uh, and there was
a bear looking right at us. And I was like,
hey bear, Hello bear, Hello bear. And she's like, what
are you doing? And I said, That's what I've I've
always heard you're supposed to do. I don't know, So
you tell me, is is that correct? Am I? Am?
I a bear? Correctly?
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Yeah? You so?
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Well?
Speaker 3 (05:52):
So what do you have black beds around you?
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Black bears? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, I.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Think with I think with with black beds made yourself. Uh,
you know what do they say, brown, lie down, black,
fight back. So if you do get you know, if
you do get, you know, approached by black babes, make
lots of noise, make itself big and scary, and generally
they're they're back away.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
But like like humans.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Nobody likes to be disturbed when they're eating, when their young,
or fornicating, you know, those things back away. I'm surprised
that yet I did. It's a good one. Brown, lie down, back,
fight black, fight bag. My head is full of so
many little phrases like this that Mike the Sharha who
you it's all running away from the camera, says, your
(06:39):
head's full of all this information that nobody's had this
this's irrelevant, and I well, it's irrelevant unless your life
is on the.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Line, you know.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
There there you go. Let me ask Let me ask
you about your I'm sure a lot of people ask
your first name. Let me ask you about your second name.
The the spelling of which is it's an unusual name.
I've never I've never seen it before. Is it is
it Welsh or or or Gaelic or what.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Kind of way it's actually actually Scottish? Is my ancestry
is in the Highlands Jesse. We only found out about recently.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
We did a did a.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
BBC show called who Do You Think You Are? Which
is basically trace. Yeah, there you go.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
But it's funny because for years I've privately at home.
I never do it public because my family give me
too much greef. But I always wear a kilt at
home and I love it. I just you know, run
around here and you know, shirt off. I've got old
canvas kilts and I love it. It just feels free
and and but my family have given me grief for
years and actually so to find that actually I've got
(07:47):
this strong Scottish Highland live and also we met sharam
Me met all those years ago in the mountains in Scotland,
so it feels like full circle it.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Do you have a Do you have a fondness for
hagis or or or no?
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Well, actually I do. I love haggis.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
I mean haggis essentially is amazing. It's like all the
awful and uh you know, from from the from the animals.
So I'm I'm very into like liver and kidney and
all that stuff. I think it's so so good for
youidering a.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Lot of the stuff that you've eaten in the wild,
I'd say that's a step up for sure.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Yeah, it's a step up, and you can you can
actually make haggards taste pretty good. I mean, the idea
of it's not very nice because there's sort of stuffed
to signed sheeps in it and stuff with all the
lung and heart and all of that. But actually it's
pretty tasty.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Well, have you ever tasted scrapple?
Speaker 3 (08:42):
No, tell me about that.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Scrapple is something that you really only have to be
from Pennsylvania to know. I grew up in Philadelphia, and
I think it was a an Amish dish and it's
it's kind of similar to haggison that you don't really
want to know what's in it. It's I think it's
every single part of the pig or whatever you're not,
(09:06):
whatever you're is left over once you've gotten the cuts
off a pig, ground up and mixed with corn meal
and then sliced and then fried in butter and served
with apple butter. Yeah, like an apple kind of thing.
I think, Yeah, I think you'd love it.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
But I think a lot of these things that are
so delicious because you always had that frying them in
butters always good. They cook it in blood a lot
of the time, which which in terms of survival is
a bad as nutrient dense as you're gonna get. So yeah, yeah,
And as you said, a lot worse things in the
wild that I've had to eat haggis has or scrapple,
(09:47):
scrumple would.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Be would be dreamy.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
I'm not familiar with scrumple notter.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
What was your one called?
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Oh, scrapple, scrapple scrap I thought you were introducing me
to a new one. Well, you know, I uh, I,
I mean, I don't know if this has ever come
across your radar, but I have been asked a couple
of times to do various you know shows with you,
and it's never really worked out. It's it's always been, uh,
(10:16):
just a schedule thing that's been following at a weird
time or whatever, which is which is regrettable to me
because I I I love what you do, and I
love I mean, I love the stuff without the celebrities
as well. But I mean, I think it's also you know,
kind of interesting when you see people put into those situations.
And one of the things that I'm always really struck
with is that for us, we live this life of
(10:41):
pretending to be something that we're not a lot of times,
you know what I mean, that's that That's actually why
I became an actor was because I was like, I
didn't really want to be this kid all the time
that who was me? I wanted to you know, be
someone something else, experience something else, you know, have a
have an adventure that was a pretend adventure, and that
(11:06):
is a very different thing from having an adventure that
isn't a real adventure, which is what what you have
spent your life doing. And I'm just wondering what it
is has that it's drawn you to that that's that's
that's that's been the driving force all these years, pushing
yourself farther and farther and farther.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
You're so sweet. First of all, you are an adventurer,
you really are.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
You know, adventure is a state of mind, and look
at how you've lived your life, and I think you'd
be first of all, you'd may also make an amazing
running wild guest. We've we've been wanted to shoot with
you for ages because I think your story, your resonate
is is powerful, you know, and how you started as
a kid and all of that stuff, and you're upbringing
and you're always honest, you know, whenever I see you interviewed,
(11:53):
you're always heart on the sleeve, you know, and you
don't do a lot of those sort of things. So
you know, and we have met guess who are in
your sort of ilk, you know, people who are quite
private but have amazing stories and a raw talent and
a big heart. And so yeah, I always think also
the right time comes for these adventures.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
As you say, your schedule's be busy.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
I'm always trusting that the right time people comes and
you never need to force any of that. But in
terms of in terms of my stuff, I mean, unlike you,
I didn't have very many talents growing up, you know.
Mine was mine wasn't really considered a talent. I was
just a kid that could climb up everything at school
and wasn't particularly brilliant or sport or academic or anything.
(12:38):
But I love the outdoors. It was a safe space
for me, and I don't know. My dad was a
former Romarine commando and I spent so much time with
him as a kid just out doing stuff. Always we'd
climb together a lot We're always making things and tinkering
around and figuring things out. And I don't know he's
(12:58):
no longer alive. He died far too young in my life.
But I look back and as a dad now to
three boys, you know, I kind of wish I've got
a chance to say thank you to so much to him,
because he really instilled in me at such a young
age to go for things and to fail and fail lots,
and be kind.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
And be a good friend of people. But you don't
have to be a superstar at school.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
You know, You've got to have a resilient spirit and
find something you love and however quirky it is. And
in my world, my stuff was quite quirky. It was like,
you know, nobody did adventure stuff or survival stuff. It
was like, you know, unusual, But I loved that, and
then I think it was a natural step to the military.
I spent five years and with the militaryish I loved,
(13:44):
and my job there became teaching a lot of the
combat survival and I don't know if somebody could say
you'd have a job that involved doing everything that I
loved since I was a kid, and I've done through that.
My army days. I was thought, wow, you know, that's
all I've ever wanted. I really thought it would lead
to a particularly brilliant career as such. And you know,
(14:05):
but I've always tried like my dad, who say, as
a kid, just follow what you love and be resilient,
be the most enthusiastic and dogged person you know, and
the rest will follow, you know. And I try and
say the same to our boys nowadays. You know, it's
like the middle one today going off to work in
the butcher's getting up early, getting on time, he has
(14:25):
his commuters, you know, twenty minutes of four six big waves.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
He arrived soaking wet, smile on his face, you know.
And I couldn't be proud of that. I love it.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
And as you know, in your life, you've half of
this showing up on time and being super enthusiastic and
doing your best, as the Scouts say that, do your best,
which is such a brilliant and powerful motto for young people.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
And having that resilient spirit.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
So not rocket science, you know, but that's been I
suppose the background to my stuff.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Now when you we mentioned mentioned your dad, and you
mentioned the time that you spent, I'm often thinking about myself,
my relationship to my parents and what I held on to.
And I think I've been mostly in in my life
(15:18):
as a parent, uh, thinking about the things that I
wanted to do differently. Not that they were bad, they
were great. I loved them. I think that was a
fantastic family to grow up in. But there were things
that you know, Uh, I think, especially with my dad,
where we're kind of I wanted to do it differently
(15:43):
in this generation. Do you ever are you one hundred
percent like your dad was to you or are there
any kind of differences that you've learned from from uh,
from your time with him and that you that you
pass on to the time with the boys.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Yeah, I think and see, you know, family, family is
always tricky, you know. And I always think families a
bit like fudge, mostly sweet, but with a few nuts
thrown in. And uh, you know, we we all have
a few nuts and and and no parentsy journey is easy.
And and you know, I look with my dad, he
had a he had a much colder father.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
So my grandfather to hit, his father was much was much.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
More distant, and uh, and I think he was you know,
he's just at that generation where they were never held
or hugged or told that they loved them. And I
think for my dad, he really wanted to do that differently,
and he really did. And he really was that sort
of cozy one who was always I mean, I remember
so much as a kid, I got picked to be
the linesman of the football team under eight.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
You know, I wasn't in the team.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
I was just my job was to bring on the
oranges and uh and you know, and it was winter
and no parents were really there. But the only dad
on the touch line was my dad. It was like
it was almost embarrassing. I was like, oh no, you know,
it's like I haven't even got a role on this team.
He's the one that's there and I carry on the
oranges a halftime he'd be cheering me on, you know.
(17:07):
So I look back and I think, even though he died,
you know, far too young, I'm so grateful for that
example and kindness and coziness and connection.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
That he gave me.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
And and you know, it's what I've always really tried
to bring with with my family. I mean, I failed
a lot. I think, you know, parenting is a humbling journey,
isn't It's all of us, and we get so much
of it wrong. And if you meet people who think
they've got it all right that generally so far away
from it.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
You make a very good point, which is that you know,
I for for both my mom and my dad for
a long time because my my parents were very old,
well relatively old, when I was bored, because I was
the youngest of six in my there was eighteen years
between me and my eldest siblings, so they were really
(18:02):
you know, I was in the mistake category. And you know,
I didn't know my grandparents, so I didn't think much
about my grandparents, and I never saw my parents' relationship
to my grandparents had I had one grandmother that I
(18:25):
sort of knew a little bit, and I think that
in understanding my parents, and it took me. I had
to stop and jump back one generation and try to
really imagine what their lives were, and it gave me
a lot of perspective I think on them, and that frankly,
(18:52):
what I thought to myself was, well, they're doing a
lot better than their parents doing so are doing so
so you know, if you can, if you can just
you know, try to take the lessons of history and
just be a little bit better. Whatever it is, loving,
or or understanding or or nurturing, then you're ahead of
the game for sure.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
And how often hard that bringing lead to brilliant lives
as well. There you look at you, you know, I
mean you're saying, you're saying the last of the six
and you know that mistake. I mean, out of out
of those words come so many brilliant, genius, kind incredible
human beings and h and I love that. I think
(19:34):
your life is an example of that. And and and
good for you. You know, I think I've never met
a strong person who's had an easy pass and and
you know, so those times, I think it's important not
to sugarcoaches. And that's everything's great because actually those hard
those hard times are what also make us and uh
and yeah, good for you. And and also you're honesty.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
Hate so you know, you one of the youngest people
to climb Everest and uh, I mean, and that's just
that's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of
the kind of physical challenges that that you've had. It's
it's mind blowing. And I mean, do you feel I
(20:21):
know that this is it's it's kind of what you
do now right, it's it's it's, it's it's it's it's
part of your how you make a living. But I
mean you feel a certain kind of pressure to keep
upping the anti or or is that no longer really
a focus? I mean, clearly you don't have to have
much left to prove. I guess yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
I say jams. Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Maybe, And I think we go through phases in our
lives that we wear different things drive us. I think
in the early years, I was really I really wanted
to make my mark, you know, and I did. I
was out to prove something. Probably, I mean I look
back and I think probably was willing to risk it
all for a mountain in a way I probably wouldn't
be now, you know.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
And I hope.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
That's a positive progress, because you know, the journey of
life is you don't ever have to prove through stuff
is to anyone.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
You know.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
It's like life is a gift, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
And it's about connections and friendships and living with that
adventure spirit and all we do. And that covers so much,
you know, work and relationships and how we.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Tackle lives and our own goals and ambitions.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
And I hope. Now I do things much more from
that drive. You know that I really love it. I
mean it almost feels much more full circle now in
the sense that as a kid I loved adventure, wasn't
out to prove an apart from I just wanted to
be close to my dad and be outside, And in
a way I feel the same thing now. I love
the crew we work with. I love having adventures with
(21:51):
my family and great friends. You know, if I could
do all of these things without the TV cameras, to
be honest, that would be heaven for me. I mean
that the TV and the filming side of it is
what I struggle most with, and it's a It's like
a running joke with our crew. It's like the reason
all of your shows work bears what they say, and
the reason they're called running everything, running wild, right, is
(22:13):
that you're always running away from and there is an
element to that. Really, I'm much more of an introverted person.
I don't I don't like the cameras. I really don't.
I love the adventure and I love the guys we
do it with, and we go and have these incredible
intense sort of you know, life on the line moments
and I love that.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
But I struggle with the filming side of it. And
it's just always been like that.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
And I've learned now not to not to sort of
not to apologize for that, because in a way, that
tension has been what's made it work. You know, we
never do second take of anything. It never feels like
we're trying to create anything. It's like all like, does
not turn the camera and follow and then see where
it leads?
Speaker 1 (22:54):
No, it does not. And that's that's part of why
it's it's it's so infectious. And and also I think
that whether you like it or not, I mean, you
just some do have you know, you have a quality
that the camera really really likes. You may not want
to be in front of it, but there's a there's
(23:17):
a that there's something that's that's almost intangible, uh there,
it's something that you know, we I think I think
you can get better at I mean, I feel like
if you know, on my side of things, I mean,
you know, I don't I don't know that I really
understood the camera when I was first in front of
it because I was a theater guy, you know. But
(23:39):
but I do think that you can get better at it.
But but I think that there has to be something
that the camera a person, that this camera kind of
sees past the naked eye and sees an inherent positive
energy or or whatever the energy happens to be, which
it really does with you.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
It's funny. Though you're very kind. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
I think by the way, I think, I think, I
think a lot about the crew though, you know, being
a filmmaker, you know you you can't help, but think,
I mean, they're right along there with you. I mean
you must have have you been working with them for
a long time, yeah, forever?
Speaker 2 (24:21):
And that the better, bigger, stronger, nice Really, I mean
they are that they are the through unsung heroes in
my life. You know, we've been together from day one.
A lot of them were ex military guys that I
bought on right at the beginning, and I knew that
if we're going to do this journey, I really it's
not that I want these guys beside me.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
It's like I need these guys beside me.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
And there have been such a rock and a strength
and a support and friend to me through so much.
And and also that yeah, they are incredible in their
own right.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
They really are they carry so much gear? They do
everything I do.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
I'm sure changes, you know, according to the situation, but
like how big a crew is it and what I'm
curious about the I mean it's I mean, I know
sometimes you have a you use a go pro right
sometimes that you have, but then.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
Go pros definitely changed our filming life because the early
day is a man versus while if we wanted, like
you know, it's drones as well. It's the other thing
has changed our life. I mean beforehand, when we're in
a jungle, it'd be like would be let loose, like
three of us, four of us and uh, and then
they'd go, we just make sure one thirty today and
and you know six am tomorrow you're at this lat
(25:34):
long clearing is we're going to do a pass at
a helicopter and we want to pick you up as
you're moving.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
And it was like, you know, super difficult.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
Sure, But now now with drones and go pros, it's
made our life ever easier. I mean, it's allowed us
to push the boundaries and what we do. But with
Running Wild, the team hasn't grown much.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
I mean there's.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Probably two carramings or seven two cameras to sound, and
then we have a we have a like a safety
guy who's one of our who's one of my guys
really who will be alongside each of them. So that's
like six or seven eight maybe, But we never have
a director, you know, we have we really don't we
(26:12):
We kind of we have people call themselves producers. Were
really there one of us. We're all in the same game.
We're all we're all doing the same to helping each other.
They're carrying kids as much as anyone, you know.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
They they help interview the guests quite a lot. They
do help with that.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
But you know, we really keep it fluid and loose
and fun and light, and I think the energy comes
from that, and the guests often say, wow, we really
kind of I thought it'd be like this, but I
wondered would there be some craft services behind the scenes.
We have some you know, much more of a plan
and much more of an idea for what we're doing
in like thirty people moving and it's like it really
(26:50):
is a coil of rope and a small gang and
off we go and figuring it out on the move.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
I don't need to ask about the thread count in
the on the on the in the bed in the hotel.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Yeah yeah, I mean we try and look after people
before and after, but for the forty eight hours you're out,
it's but you know, what's the experience, isn't it? And
I think for people like you, you know, you're you're
your top of your game, your your your top of
that tree. And you don't need none of our Running
World guests need the money or the fame. They don't
need that. They want something else. They want the the
(27:20):
experience and insight into kind of some of the skills,
into the wild places, and and that dynamic with the crew,
and and it creates often really lovely friendships, and I
love that. I think it's very bonding. When you go
through intense experiences, you know where your life is on
the line, and you have to.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
Trust each other. And I love that.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
I never take that for granted. But in terms of
the crew, yeah, you are right. They are the remarkable heroes.
And I love hearing them get the right deserved accolade.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Oh man, I can't imagine. I can't imagine being on
their crew. And and you know when we when you
when we hang up today, you're not gonna shoot something today.
I don't think you're at home. What do you do?
What's what's your what's your what's your what's your day
off look like?
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Well, you know, it's always quite physical on the island
because you know, just getting supplies is hard work. You know,
it's as I say, it's you know, it's two miles
just to the mainland and there's quad bikes and there.
You know, if it's low tide, that's a mile then
up the low tide beast to get to the frack
to then leads you to the village. And you know, say,
everybody's quite physical already.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
But I don't know.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
I like to I like to train in the morning
and nothing crazy. I like to be outside but for
half an hour and I do a mixer stretching and
I have my pill up bar and you know, the
dogs chase me around and I do work out and
then I run down. I dive in the sea every
day and then you know, then it's kind of just life.
I mean with I do. I don't do very much
press stuff. I actually don't do many of these sort
(28:55):
of things. I definitely I'm not a sort of I
don't And there's no filming when we're not filming.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
You know, that definitely is a no note for me.
But you're just normal life as a.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Family and bringing up teenagers and you know, definitely not
a there's no heroics at home.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
Yeah, I've low down the pecking order.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
You know, You've got the dogs and chickens, the cat.
So yeah, definitely very pretty regular life, apart from the
place we live, which is maybe a little bit more irregular.
And I try and do our filming in term times,
so when the boys are at school, I'm away and
I try and pack it in. You know, we'll go
(29:34):
for ten days and we'll do a couple of episodes
back to back, and there's quite a lot of travel
often involved with that. But you know, we're pretty efficient
now and I've learned to One of the reasons I
fought hard in the early days to be able to
make our own shows and produce our own shows was
as much about just being able to schedule things when
we wanted them, you know, with the crew we wanted, sure,
(29:55):
and that's made a big difference because you know, otherwise wins,
but your family doesn't always win, and at the end
of the day, that's not a win. So I sort
of learned early on just keep try, try with all
your heart to keep family first, to work second. And
I know, I know, we all know that, but it's
sometimes hard to do that.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
And sure it is, Sure it is and actually is.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
And I've failed a bit along the way, you know,
when they were younger. I think that's probably a way
too much, you know. But now I'm really proud that
I am there, and I am sort of there for
the important stuff, and all of us could be five
percent more successful, ten percent more successful, but I really
try consciously it see that family stuff first, and I
think if that's happy, then other stuff follows, doesn't It
(30:40):
sure does.
Speaker 4 (30:47):
If you are inspired by today's episode, please join us
in supporting six degrees dot org by texting the word
Bacon to seven zero seven zero seven zero. Your gift
empowers us to continue to produce programs highlight the incredible
work of everyday heroes, well also enabling us to provide
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(31:08):
text b A c N to seven zero seven zero
seven zero, or visit six degrees dot org to learn more.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
I think we should bring Paul and Paul Gurney from
becoming X would you like to join us. Hey, Kevin,
I'm great. I'm great. How are you doing? Whereabouts are you? Paulman?
Speaker 5 (31:35):
Doing really well? Yes, I'm in I'm in London. I
can see from bears weather. We're sharing the gray Skies.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
Yeah, doing well? Now, how did you guys meet?
Speaker 5 (31:48):
So actually met Bear through a filming opportunity. We brought
Bet in to do one of the very first films
that we did as Becoming X. So Bear and I
have since set up the organization called Becoming X. But
it's all about helping people realize their potential. So it's
about giving people those really important skills and opportunities to
(32:08):
go out and succeed in life. We've already done a
couple of pilots and Bear luckily was one of the
very first people we interviewed. And it's all about sharing
the real insights of how people got to where they
got to, the real story behind the celebrity and success.
And you know, Bear being the star that the years
saw the vision of what we want to do. We
(32:30):
set up together and that's the that's the big game.
How can we really help people succeed and how can
we help them thrive in life?
Speaker 1 (32:39):
And you yourself was a bit of an adventurer. I think,
is that correct.
Speaker 5 (32:45):
Well, I've rewind ten years, yes, and that was really
part of the genesis of becoming X. You know, yeah,
I've got to do some fun stuff over the years.
I've raised from land to the North Pole, sort of
five hundred miles across the frozen Arctic minus fifty degrees,
done the marathon discables. So six marathons and six days
(33:06):
through the Sahara climbs of the highest mountains in the world.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
Hang On, hang on, hang on. The marathon is a
it's six marathons in six days.
Speaker 5 (33:14):
Yeah, it's called the dis It's picture You're.
Speaker 1 (33:17):
A running marathon. I just want to clarify what we're
talking about here.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
It's a running marathon.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (33:22):
So it's I mean the story behind this and this
leads into Bigcami X. I mean I was at a
time in my life where I wanted to really push
the boundaries of what was possible and really try to understand,
you know, what are our limits? What can we achieve
as individuals? And I've already done some adventures, We've done
some stuff. I was just curious, you know, what are
(33:44):
my own boundaries and I found myself signing up to
do the world's toughest race, this race from land to
the North Pole, and it was in doing that and
everyone said to me, you know, poor, you get a die.
You know, you're not you're not a in order of adventure.
You don't have a minute.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
That's a running that's a running race, or so well,
what what runs snowshoe?
Speaker 5 (34:03):
Yeah, you'd be doing well to run. I mean, you've
got eighty kilograms of gear behind you, You've got big
snow boots on, so you're basically going as fast as
you can, trying not to fall through the ice, trying
not to get hypothermia, frostbite, attacked by a polar bear.
So you've got all You've got all that. But I'd
signed up to this race and it was a two year
(34:23):
journey to get.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
By the way Berry, you didn't mention, you didn't. You
told me, uh, black fight back round, lie down, but
you didn't mention white bear as well.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
Keep away from them. Yeah, unbelievable, you know, yeah, the
bear be castles.
Speaker 5 (34:42):
That's exactly right. You you know, they're they're beautiful, incredible animals,
but you know they can run as fast as horses.
Over a very short distance. They can smell you from
miles away. They're enormous, you know, hundreds and hundreds of kilograms,
and yeah, pretty scary. But Kevin, I'd signed up to this.
Everyone said to me, you know, Paul, you're gonna die
(35:02):
because you don't have for these skills. And ironically, and
Bear I'll probably never told you this. Ironically, you've got
to be like Bear Grills or Serunal Fines or someone
with real experience at this. And I was like, well,
I'm just prepared to learn, and I'm prepared to do
what I can. Because I was telling people I'm doing
the world's toughest race. Someone said to me, you know, oh,
so you're doing the marathon day sup. I was like, no,
(35:24):
I'm doing this race to the North Pole. And I'd
heard of the marathon diss up as I said, it's
six mouths and six days through the Sahara Desert, extraordinary heat,
soft sand, very tough race. And I go on the
website and lo and behold it's also described as the
world's toughest race. So I thought, well, hang on, you
can't have two world's toughest races. Let's try and which
one's harder and suddenly found myself doing, you know, two
(35:47):
of the toughest races on Earth in the same year,
and realizing actually that literally only a handful of people
had ever done these two and suddenly here's a guy
with next to no background in this stuff trying to
do these two adventures. So it was really through that
that I learned what it actually takes to do to
do really difficult things, which is what kind of led
(36:08):
me to do becoming X. How can we equip other
people to help them know that it's not about what
you know, It's really about the attitudes that you bring,
the effort that you're prepared to put into it, the determination,
the resilience, the relationships you build along the way, because
those are things that help people succeed, and sadly, we
don't see young people learning those things. So that's why
(36:29):
we said I'm becoming.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
X correctly from go ahead, go ahead, Bert, please no.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
I gotta say Paul I always recognized as a great
adventure spirit, you know when we say adventures a state
of mind. That the minute I'm met him and heard
some of his staff. Also, you've got to remember his
he was a corporate guy. He was just working. Where
are we at the time? Were your centur at the time.
Speaker 5 (36:50):
Yeah, fifteen years Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
You know, and he was sort of taking all of
his banking up all this holiday to go and do
these epic races, almost dying and he's coming back sort
of covered and just blistered some blood and like you know,
you were.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
You were raw grit that got you through those things.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
And I think as soon as we met, I thought,
here's somebody's definitely got something different. But also, bubb all, Paul,
you had a heart for sharing some of it, sharing
some of the stuff that actually what can help people
get ahead. And you know, when you don't pay a
lip service when you say you wanted to find out
what the boundaries.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
Were, you really lived that.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
And I think what's become so powerful now with what
you've done is say, hold on, let's let's actually get
under the skin with success some of these people. We've
made films with that. So often you just hear the headlines,
don't you that somebody has won an Oscar or you know,
been chosen by NASA as an astronaut, or become the
Nobel Prize winner. But on the back of that, and
(37:48):
your life is a testament that my life's a testament to.
This is an awful lot of failure. You know, we
fail so many times, and it's those stories that actually
are the interesting ones. And I think so many the
kids at school never get to realize how important failure is,
how important it is, how relatable it is when you
see these people that you know, Kevin, you've experienced some
(38:10):
of this as well. You know there where we build
our muscle, aren't they. So that was a vision of
becoming X and pulling me coming together, say let's actually
try and articulate some of your journey, some of my journey,
and actually make it tangible for people, you know, every day,
people in schools growing up. The stuff they don't teach
you in school, you know, the way from the academics
(38:30):
actually one of the life skills that can really give
people an edge and demystify this whole thing of what
it takes.
Speaker 3 (38:37):
To succeed and all.
Speaker 2 (38:38):
You've been so brilliant, you know, for me, it's so
nice having you on this and being able to actually
say publicly what a brilliant guy you have been, how
resilient and positive and worked your way through so many challenges,
setting up becoming X and the foundation through all this
COVID time and you've come out of it shining and
that it's doing so well, and that's down to all resilience,
(39:00):
and I admire that so much.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
By the way, thanks you for pointing that out. I mean,
that's really you know that that's kind of the essence
of this of this podcast is we we we frame
it as as as an opportunity to talk to famous people,
but it really is about those people highlighting and giving
a voice to the people who are running these foundations
(39:25):
and are doing the great work on the ground. So
bye bye bye. By saying what you said, that's exactly
kind of the essence of what we're trying to highlight
here in this this podcast. You know, you said something interesting.
I wonder if part of Becoming X is trying to
(39:45):
define for people exactly what success is. Because when you
look at what you guys have done, or what some
of the you know, some of the people that have
been interviewed for becoming ACCEPT done, this is like the
very very cinnical the top of the literally on the
top of the mountain them Bear's case, or you know,
(40:06):
you know, finishing six marathons in it a row. These
are to a lot of people completely unsurmountable goals and
you kind of think to yourself, well, if I can't
do that, then I'm not going to be success. So
can you speak a little bit to what you know?
How how what the messages in terms of how one
defines success for oneself. Yeah?
Speaker 5 (40:27):
Absolutely. And to set the context of this, you know,
we didn't want this to be about our opinion of
what it really says. He wanted this to be evidence based.
It show as many stories as we could. So we've
gone out now in films about sixty of the world's
highest performers. You have had presidents and Peace Prize winners,
the ten Olympic gold medalists, Oscar winners, but also a
(40:48):
whole lot of people from really tough backgrounds who are
not famous but have gone through everything from homelessness, being
in prison and gone out and done amazing things. So
our idea of success, you know, so often into society
is defined by the job title, how much money you've got,
you know, what car you drive, And for us, that
is not what success is about. Successes book is about
waking up in the morning being proud of what you do.
(41:10):
You know, being able to look after your family, being
able to support in your community, and having that sense
that you're doing something that's fulfilling. So we want to
tell kids that, you know, this is not about how
many likes you get on social media. It's about the
impact you can have in the world and doing stuff
that challenges you so that you're always learning. So, actually,
all the work that we've done and all of these
(41:30):
interviews and people want to see them actually on our
website becoming x dot com, all available, made available for free.
You know you'll hear what it takes to succeed. And
we took about four things when we talk about the skills,
the knowledge, the attitudes and relationships that you need to
thrive in life. And you know, we've done all of
this work and we've looked at all of the other
(41:51):
bits of research out there, and it's so obvious to
us that education has just got a change at the
moment it doesn't work and help young people. And the
truth is it's not really changed much in the last
hundred years, and we're still focused on teaching particularly young
people knowledge. You know, what can you know about a subject,
what can you recall in a two week exam period.
(42:14):
Now we're living at a time when we've all got
mobile phones, we've all got you know now AI and
chat GPT. The things that will help young people is
actually the skills they have. It's the attitudes they bring,
the ambition, the determination, the resilience and the relationships that
they can bring. Those are the things that help them.
There's no lessons on that kids aren't learning that they'll
go through, you know, thirteen sixteen years of education and
(42:37):
not be taught how to do with failure. They not
be taught how to continually work on something, and they'll
not be taught how to work well in their team.
So that's what we really want to do. How can
we help people learn those critical things that will help
them get ahead of the life.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
I would think also it's also you know, at least
not that everybody has to know it right out of
the gate, but choosing something that you have a you
have a skill for choosing something that you care about
and something that I mean, I don't know that all
of us are going to have a job that there
(43:14):
we're going to love as much as I love my job,
for instance, I mean I love my job, you know,
but I do think that you can even if you
don't love your job, you can still find other things
that give you pleasure. As we were talking about before
Bear outside of your actual work. You know, things that
(43:37):
like whatever it happens to be family or I don't know,
cooking or the yoga or sports or you know what
I mean, there's a million, a million things. So I
think that this these kinds of leffons. I mean, I
know for myself, I come up through the public school
system in Philadelphia. I think the teachers are absolute hero
(44:00):
was uh for for what for what teachers have to
do and go through every day? Uh you know, it's it.
They it for very very little money and very very
little uh praise, and uh you know there's it's a
really really hard gig. And I admire what they do.
(44:20):
But in terms of like, yeah, I mean in terms
of like the curriculum though, you know, it was mostly
kind of knowledge based. I had a couple of teachers
that were very very inspirational and had made me think
about things that I hadn't really thought about in a
different kind of way. But there was a lot of
stuff that was you know, sort of dry and and
I wasn't a good student. I mean, I I don't
(44:44):
read very well and I can't add, and you know,
so it was school was something that I looked at
as a place to leave.
Speaker 2 (44:55):
Well said, what set what set you on that part then?
And where did you find this the courage to think, actually,
this is what I love and I'm good, I'm actually
going to try and.
Speaker 3 (45:04):
Do this as a child.
Speaker 1 (45:05):
I don't know, man, I just I never had a plan.
B I knew I wanted to be an actor, but really,
to tell you the truth, before I wanted to be
an actor. I wanted to be famous and wealthy and
get girls. But but it was acting that sort of
I thought would I took a class and I kind
of fell in love with it. But I was probably
about twelve, and then I knew I would just count
(45:29):
the days until high school was over. And then I
was out left home in seventeen, and you know, I
was ready to go. But you know, I don't know
that necessarily everybody has that kind of clarity. So is
part of the program to you know, kind of give
people the skills to figure out what it is that
(45:52):
they might want to do with their lives.
Speaker 2 (45:54):
Yeah, it was so I see, Yeah, sorry, no, it's
just going to say, I think you know, you're right.
Everybody might have that clarity. But I think you can
empower kids to have the aspiration to not to settle,
then to actually find something that they really love, you know,
and we might not always hit that, but I think
giving kids permission to like teach them how do you
(46:18):
build dreaps?
Speaker 3 (46:18):
How do you set goals? How do you how do
you explore what you love?
Speaker 1 (46:22):
You know?
Speaker 2 (46:22):
These are such key conversations. I mean, one percent of people,
like you might have that clear goal. Most people you've
got You've got to be freed up, haven't you to
kind of try different things and to fail? And you know,
how can you do that without the failing?
Speaker 3 (46:36):
And I think sort of.
Speaker 2 (46:37):
Kids get pushed into what they should be doing or
their parents want them to do, and is so empowering
when young people can be told, actually the teachers now
saying to me, what do I what would you?
Speaker 3 (46:49):
What really excites you?
Speaker 2 (46:50):
You know, maybe there is a career in that or
maybe you know, and it's that free thinking that it's
never really articulated for young people.
Speaker 3 (46:58):
But I do think you're right.
Speaker 2 (46:59):
Also, the teachers are such heroes and it isn't in
a way the teacher's job, because they're battling. They're in
a job, they're badling. You know, they're doing their best
to serve their community, serve their class, earn a living,
do their best, make a difference, and as you say,
aren't always paid brilliantly and they're always often on the
back foot and therefore becoming exit. The vision was try
(47:21):
and step into that gap a little bit and resource
teachers to be able to be that person and then
be that inspiration to young kids to help fire a
whole load of Kevin Bacon's out there in the world
to find what.
Speaker 1 (47:35):
They tell me what does on a on a on
a just a basic function of function function or basis
what what what does becoming action do? And and and
and and and also tell me how people can get
involved and help and learn about it, et cetera.
Speaker 5 (47:56):
Yeah, absolutely, so a few different things. So, first, we
have a platform, an education platform for schools and for
parents that allows them to essentially teach this stuff kind
of ready to go lessons that they can deliver in school.
So we want to teach your kids how to work
well as a team. You've got a plug and play lesson.
You know, Bear introduces them all. We have insights from
(48:17):
different people, you know, so if it's a lesson, if
you want to do a lesson with your kid on
you know, discipline, well hey you've got Bear introducing it.
You might have some insights from Rodern Federer, right, You'll
get that kind of that kind of insights from people.
But it's also backed by real evidence, so really really
high quality teaching content. So that's kind of the education side.
(48:38):
We also do a lot of work with companies as well,
supporting the kind of building the next generation of leaders
who are inspired to build great teams.
Speaker 3 (48:48):
To have an impact on what they do.
Speaker 5 (48:50):
And thirdly, we know we're also really proud of the
social impact work we do. You know, Bear has been
out to Kiev recently to meet President Zelenski. We've just
built an amazing platform for you Ukrainians. So we're trying
to support the seven million Ukrainian refugees at the moment,
but also really excited to build another platform for refugees
in the UK. So we're really just looking at all
(49:11):
these different groups to say, how can we equip them,
how can we give them the opportunity, how can we
give them the skills. So really that's our big goal,
you know, different audiences and different ways to get involved.
Speaker 1 (49:23):
Amazing. That sounds amazing, and how can people help and
how can people learn about it? This is the this
is the moment for the card that action.
Speaker 5 (49:32):
Yeah, so I think listen a few things. I think
if you're in education becoming x dot com slash education,
you know, there's a way that immediately your school can
start teaching this, or if your school, if this isn't
on the agenda for the school at all, you can
do this as a parent. I think if you're a
big you know, international film star Kevin and you want
to do a film with us, you know, always great.
(49:52):
We want to have people tell their real story. I
mean that's been one of the great privileges of this
is having so many inspiring people join us and tell
a story that other people don't know. They were so
empowering for young people in particular to hear the you know,
the stars they see on TV. They weren't born talented.
You know, these are people that had to work in it,
that have failed, that have just invested so much time.
Speaker 1 (50:15):
Well, thank you guys, Bear Grills, Paul Gurney Becoming X.
It's been so fun talking to you Bear from an island,
Paul from your very cozy office, temperature controlled. It's been
great meeting both of you. I'm super impressed with everything
(50:35):
that you're doing. And you know, keep up the great work.
Speaker 2 (50:40):
Yeah, then you're you're a star. Thank you for having
a son. And yeah, likewise, back at you. Keep up
making a difference and we'll get it together.
Speaker 3 (50:48):
For running wild one time.
Speaker 1 (50:50):
Yeah, and yeah, I.
Speaker 3 (50:51):
Would love to keep the Lincoln.
Speaker 1 (50:52):
I would love to Yeah, sure, for sure.
Speaker 3 (50:55):
Thank you, God blessed. Thank you guys.
Speaker 1 (51:01):
Hey, guys, thanks for listening to another episode of Six
Degrees with Kevin Bacon. If you want to learn more
about Becoming X Foundation, head to their website at Becoming
Exfoundation dot org. You can find all the links in
our show notes. You never know who you're gonna get here,
so make sure you subscribe to the show and tune
(51:22):
into the rest of our episodes. You can find Six
Degrees with Kevin Bacon on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you get your podcasts. We'll see you next time.
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