We all know Bear Grylls the survivalist, outdoor expert, author, and television personality. He also made a great podcast guest recently over on the Adventure Sports Podcast.
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Here are some of our favorite moments:
A little bit of sun goes a long way
Naturally, it didn’t take long for Bear to start discussing his love for the outdoors with host Mason Gravley. Even though he’s been to some of the most remote locations on the planet, something as small as a walk through Central Park can give him the joy of the great outdoors. He spoke about connecting to Earth, calling his time outside, the “epicenter of the everyday.” He spoke about standing in the grass, barefoot “even when it’s cold,” and feeling the sun on his face, as being a healing and grateful experience for him.
Faking it, even though he’s made it
Though it can be hard to believe, Bear Grylls considers himself to be an introvert and says that as he’s gotten older, he enjoys being in front of the camera less and less. Even though Bear has a well-known public persona, he says that public speaking and being on television can be a struggle for him, and that’s part of why he continues to do it.
“People are often surprised that I really struggle in front of the camera,” Grylls began, “I’ve learned not to run from that… just [because] something makes you nervous that’s not a reason not to do it.” It may not be building a shelter in the wild, but public speaking can take a lot of bravery.
Before Bear, there was Monkey
The podcast host brings up that one of Bear’s childhood nicknames was Monkey and then jokes that in another life, the host could have been talking to Monkey Grylls instead. The nickname was given to Grylls by his classmates. Bear said: “My dad taught me to climb when I was a young boy, and at school that was the kind of only thing I was good at.”
The outdoors builds confidence
After having the spotlight on him for years on shows like Man Vs Wild, Bear began shifting his perspective, helping others gain their own confidence outside. Through his newer shows, like Running Wild with Bear Grylls and I Survived Bear Grylls, as well as his work with the Scouts, Bear Grylls has found that learning survival skills teaches you humility, respect, and community. “I love the way the outdoors builds people,” remarked Grylls, “it builds quiet confidence and courage.” In order to know what true success feels like, you have to be willing to fail.
Have faith in the underdog
Bear Grylls describes the way many people can come into a survival situation a little over-confident in their abilities. Describing them as “arm-chair survivalists,” Grylls says that often, those who think they know everything are the ones who break first. In regards to his new show, I Survived Bear Grylls, he remarked: “Each episode… is going to test their spirit, their physicality, and their resilience, and their mental strength, and at the end there’s one winner.”
Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.
