Episode 230: Naomi Aldwyn-Allsworth, Wild By Design

Episode 230 of The Adventure Podcast features survival instructor, bushcraft expert, and TV adventurer, Naomi Allsworth. Naomi started as a sportswear fashion designer in London, before pivoting to bushcraft and working alongside Bear Grylls as a survival expert. She talks to Matt about finding her place in the bushcraft world, but also the criticism she has and still receives from some. She also reveals what it was like being cast on survival show, 'Alone', with just three weeks' notice, and how authentic survival TV shows really are. Naomi also opens up about her crippling postpartum depression, and that pushing herself back into wild, uncomfortable places was the only thing that pulled her out. Together they dig into the double standards facing adventurous parents, and they both get candid about the guilt, privilege, and precarious balancing act of a career built on being away. They also touch on Naomi's upcoming unsupported expedition, and representation vs community skepticism. It's an honest, no frills conversation around what it costs to build a career that lives online and away from home, but also what that can give you.

For extra insights from the worlds of adventure, exploration and the natural world, you can find The Adventure Podcast+ community on Substack. You can also follow along and join in on Instagram @‌theadventurepodcast.

Chapter Breakdown

00:00-02:31: Naomi on identity, growing up in rural Wales, and finding herself through fashion design in London.

02:31-05:53: Swerving her degree toward mountaineering clothing, and testing kit in the Sahara and on Everest.

05:53-13:42: Naomi's postpartum depression, the fear of leaving her son, and how bushcraft became her lifeline.

13:42-24:01: Matt and Naomi compare notes on parental guilt, presence, and the different judgement mums and dads face for going away.

24:01- 26:34: Why having the right partner makes an adventurous career possible.

26:34-34:00: Naomi's whirlwind three-week casting, hostility from a fellow contestant, and finishing third.

34:00-39:48: How authentic survival TV actually is, and the tension between bushcraft purism and entertainment.

39:48-48:00: Wanting to represent women in the outdoors while keeping the respect of a skeptical community.

48:00-58:36: Why paid TV work funds real expeditions.

58:36-1:03:36: The impossible task of pleasing everyone online, and how criticism still stings even after years in the spotlight.

1:03:36-1:05:34: What scares Naomi and what gives her hope.

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