PIP
AGE: 47
FROM: Aberdeenshire, Scotland
OCCUPATION: Wild Swimming Coach

ABOUT

Pip is a wild swimming coach, outdoor instructor and a mother of two, who served 17 years as an Army Officer and became the first female Army Commando. She is now dedicated to supporting others through outdoor-based activities and experiences at the family woodland centre.

Despite being in some intense situations in the past, Pip believes she’s never really experienced a full survival situation and is keen to see how she’ll fare.

Interview with Pip

Why do you think you’ve got what it takes?

I’m curious about the environment, I love discovering things so I go into everything with an open mind. I have a baseline of skills that will sustain me but I’m keen to explore them and develop them in any way possible, I think the immersive nature of the challenge is going to be something that’s not only super exciting but super scary because we don’t normally put ourselves in those sorts of situations. We reach a point where we’re comfortable and life, moseys along, so to actually decide to put yourself into something like this quite interesting. Hopefully my resilience levels will help me keep going.

What does it say about you wanting to do something this extreme?

That I’m a little bit crazy. I think it’s important to take the opportunities as they come and do things that you really want to do. My whole life, my career was defined by doing things I wanted to do that I was excited about, that I thought would engage me and allow me to learn from or push me as a different person or improve my character. I’ve tried to take all those experiences that I’ve had to help me become that person and I think that this is something very similar.

Do you think being in the military and having the experiences that you’ve had have given you a different outlook or different coping mechanisms that might be useful here?

I think the military has taught me to keep my stuff clean and organised. Trying to make sure I know where all my kit is at one time. I think routine has always been really key for me too. I was at boarding school so I had routine there and the army just thrives on routine. So I think both of those elements are going to be beneficial for me on this experience.

What would it mean to you to win?

I think if I could walk away with my head held high, knowing I have just given everything my best shot and that I had tried, I would be happy at whatever stage that leads me to. If I can continue down this journey ‘til the end, whatever the end might be. This is going to be an experience that’s going to just take me into my next stage of my life and give me the energy to just keep going, and keep loving what I do, sharing it all and inspiring more people again.

How do you think you will cope with being away from loved ones?

I am okay with that. I am used to being separated from loved ones. I went to boarding school, I was in the army. I lived in Canada for two years and went home once or twice. I compartmentalise my family and my feelings and my love for them and focus on what I am doing. And I am quite happy with not being engaged with them regularly. I feel completely at ease that they are loved and they love me and they are proud of me and that they’re being looked after.

Do you feel ready for the challenge?

I think I am as ready as I can be at this time. I wouldn’t say I’ve been preparing for this my whole life; it’s not one of those things. You never feel 100% ready for these things.

What are you scared of, going in there?

Having never encountered a bear face to face, it is quite a worrying situation to find yourself in.

How would you feel if you had to tap out?

If I had to tap out I would really hope that there would be understanding from my family, for whatever reason I was tapping out for. I’ve got to live with the decisions that I make and I’ve put them through me coming here and doing this. And I’ve put myself through it and I had to be sure about it. So to tap out I have to be sure that it is the right decision because I have to live with it. This is a really big thing, if I’m going to make that decision to tap out, I just really hope it wouldn’t be on the spur of the moment. It’s something that I would have to consider for some time. But I am also not saying that it’s not something that might happen. I’ve not been put under these conditions before. I do not know how my brain is going to react and how it’s going to tell me what I need to do and what I don’t need to do. And I think if I can just listen to my heart as well as my head, I’ll be in a good place.

What do you think you’ll get from all the time alone?

It might be that I work through some feelings that come back to me or some memories. I really don’t know what might happen out there. I would anticipate coming back more humble and more appreciative of what’s in my life right now and be grateful for everything that I have. If I could come back with humility and appreciation, then I think that would be a positive thing.

Can you talk to me about what the first night will be like?

I think the first night is going to be like The Blair Witch Project. I think it is going to be an absolute rollercoaster, it really is. There are going to be a huge amount of emotions and feelings and not just mental but physical as well. I anticipate there’s probably going to be rain, there might be wind, it’s going to be dark. There’s going to be a lot of unfamiliar noises and it’s accepting I’m in there and actually talking myself round and dampening down my fears, just trying to embrace the situation that I’m in. I think there’s an element of shock and awe that’s going to be in there really, probably a lot of self-doubt about why I am doing this, why I have put myself in this situation, if I really want to be here. I think there will be a lot of that on the first night. After that, it will get better, I hope.

Do you have an overall strategy?

Take each day as it comes, one day at a time, that is my mojo. Celebrate the positives, move forward from the negatives and it’s not bombs and bullets.

How do you think you’ll cope?

Keeping busy is going to be key but also this comes into the appreciation of and the empathy for other people and the situations that they have been in. Realistically, thinking that other people have been in survival situations where they’ve managed for longer than three weeks and they’ve survived and come out the other side. People have done it. Everybody is different and physically we’re different so it’s very difficult to say how I might cope. I cope well with not eating a lot at home. How I’ll cope with the added pressures of everything else we’re doing around here, I’m not sure. But, I think trying to just keep busy and perhaps have an appreciation of other people who are in situations whether they want to be or not would be helpful.