Show Notes
In this episode of SHE Who Dares Wins, Michelle sits back down with Eva – bushcraft instructor, founder of Wilder Horizons CIC, and former contestant on the TV show Alone – to explore what it really looks like to rebuild your life from the ground up. From leaving the NHS and traditional employment, to moving into a caravan, to spending three dark winter months training in North Wales with seven other women, Eva shares a raw, honest look at self-employment, simplicity, female friendship and finding community in the outdoors. If you’ve ever thought, “I can’t do that” or felt left behind because your path doesn’t look like everyone else’s, this conversation is for you.
In This Episode, We Talk About Daring to begin (again) Why Eva clung to traditional employment “with her fingernails” The crunch point where she realised she was doing a bad job for everyone – and had to choose herself What the first year of full-time self-employment has really looked like (peaks, troughs and all) Calm over “career safety” How leaving the NHS shifted her day-to-day from constant adrenaline to a calmer nervous system Why she now values alignment and mental health over job titles, pensions and sick pay Caravan life and living small Moving from a two-bed flat into a tiny caravan with her partner… just as winter started Juggling three part-time jobs, 4 a.m. commutes, and wondering, “What have I done?” The unexpected gifts of simple living: fewer bills, more outdoor space and learning what she actually needs Stuff, screens and simplifying Letting go of storage units, “just in case” boxes and the things she didn’t miss for a whole year Swapping infinite Netflix choice for five charity-shop DVDs – and what that taught her about decision fatigue and delayed gratification Loneliness, lost friendships and starting again The quiet grief of friendships that fade when you step off the traditional life path Why it’s so hard to have honest conversations about “what went wrong” in friendships Feeling like you’re starting from scratch socially when your values and lifestyle change Finding belonging in the outdoors Three months in north Wales with the Outward Bound Trust and Berghaus: Living in a shared house with seven women Long days in the cold and wet, learning navigation, rock skills and paddling The deep sense of community that formed from being together 24/7 How intense shared experiences fast-track genuine connection and trust Women-only spaces and why they matter Training with female instructors and what changed when there were no men in the group The difference in energy, competition and confidence in women-only learning spaces Why Eva chose to keep her bushcraft events women-only after hearing participant feedback Bushcraft as a doorway to courage Watching women come solo to events – sometimes for the first time doing anything just for themselves How lighting fires, carving wood and sleeping outside can unlock confidence far beyond the woods The ripple effect: course WhatsApp groups, new hiking buddies and women planning their own adventures together Safety, responsibility and the outdoor industry The tension between qualified outdoor professionals and social-media-led “hike meetups” Why qualifications, recces and first aid still matter – even when you “just love hiking” Expansion and what’s next for Wilder Horizons Eva’s word of the year: Expansion Moving from “doing everything myself” to hiring a community and adventure manager Her vision for employing and uplifting more women in the outdoor space
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