Ben and Frazer are joined by Jack Fleckney, fresh off his row across the Atlantic Ocean. Described by Frazer as Northamptonshire’s Bear Grylls, Jack defines himself broadly as an ‘adventurer’, traversing both exotic locales and the far reaches of his own physical abilities.
Jack describes the mental strength as the most important part of these extreme challenges. While you of course have to be in good condition physically, you also have to be prepared to go to an extreme place mentally and have the confidence that you can do it. It’s all about minimising stress, so having a strategy is very important.
A career as a Royal Marine Commando
Moving on to his history in the military as a Royal Marine Commando. His step-dad was in the navy which, combined with Andy McNab books, led Jack to pursue a career in the forces. He specialised in navigation, which has come in handy for his later work doing expeditions.
The Marines basic training is the longest in the world, which meant that it required exceptional mental strength to get through, especially considering Jack as constantly worried about getting kicked off. He does think that the resilience that training instilled in him has helped him in his later endeavours, stating that mental health is built on experience and discipline, just like physical health.
Jack’s latest challenge has been rowing across the Atlantic Ocean as part of a team of four. The 3200-mile row took them 40 days and took over a year of preparation. Jack had never done anything at sea before yet leapt at the opportunity. Frazer expresses how impressed he is at this mindset, to which replies with a motivational quote: amazing things happen when you put yourself outside your comfort zone.
To finish up, the group discuss Jack’s new one-day leadership workshop course in partnership with Canoe2 at Rushden Lakes, which you can find out more about here.
