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Paul Kirtley

Wilderness Bushcraft. Survival Skills. Outdoor Life.

PK Podcast 044: John Hudson, UK Military’s Chief Survival Instructor

PK Podcast 044: John Hudson, UK Military’s Chief Survival Instructor

Paul Kirtley Comments 24 comments

John Hudson is Chief Instructor at the UK military’s DSTO, that is the Defence SERE Training Organisation, SERE being Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Extraction. In simple terms John is the UK military’s chief survival instructor.

John has also been involved in TV work, appearing in several Discovery channel shows, including Dude You’re Screwed. In the conversation recorded for podcast 44, we delve into John’s background, how he became fascinated by survival, as well as discussing what his current role involves.

There is lots of survival information out there, there are many survival manuals, old and new. There has been a tonne of survival entertainment TV shows in the last decade and there is no end of people offering survival tips and advice on YouTube, not to mention putting survival in the title of their channels.

John, however, is the real deal. Originally an RAF helicopter pilot and now the survival instructor responsible for training all the survival instructors in the UK military, and by extension responsible for the content of the survival training of all branches of the services.

So, I wanted to learn more about John’s approach, what he thinks is important to impart in survival training and how he teaches people to prioritise in survival situations. Given his background in teaching real survival skills to people who may well have to rely on them, I was also interested to know John’s thoughts on survival TV shows, particularly since he has been involved in the making of some. Towards the end of the conversation I ask John what myths around survival need killing dead. So make sure you stick around to the end.

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John Hudson directing sea survival training
John Hudson training aircrew. Photo courtesy of John Hudson.

Connect with John Hudson

johnhudsonsurvival.com
John Hudson on Instagram
John Hudson on Twitter

Links

RAF St Mawgan
Dr John Leach
Survival psychology: the won’t to live
‘Give-up-itis’ revisited: neuropathology of extremis
Jim Collins
Marcus Aurelius
Epictetus
James Stockdale
Personal Outdoor Plan (POP)
The Duke Of Edinburgh’s Award
Dude, You’re Screwed

John Hudson’s book How To Survive, takes survival lessons from the extremes and helps you apply the principles to your everyday life. Photo courtesy of John Hudson.

Buy John Hudson’s Book – How To Survive

Other Books Relevant To This Podcast

Thanks For Listening!

Thanks for joining me on this podcast. If you have any comments about this episode, please leave them in the comments section below.

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons at the top of this page. Thanks!

And Finally…

Finally don’t forget to leave an honest review & rating on iTunes or on Stitcher.

Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of this podcast and I read each and every one of them.

Related Material On Paul Kirtley’s Blog

PK Podcast 043: North American Titans Of Bushcraft

PK Podcast 004: Tristan Gooley And The Beauty Of Natural Navigation

PK Podcast 001: Survival Psychology With Dr Sarita Robinson

 


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24 thoughts on “PK Podcast 044: John Hudson, UK Military’s Chief Survival Instructor”

  1. Steve Blunt says:
    at 11:45

    Hi Paul – that was an excellent episode and I’ve already listened through it twice. Just crammed full of thoughtful, interesting and relevant info and questions. Great stuff! It occurred to me that with the military edging away from PLAN and STOP it might be something for you to cover in a future video if/as relevant to civvy street or maybe just to compare the approaches and their value. Many thanks and good luck with the book. Cheers Steve

    Reply
    1. Paul Kirtley says:
      at 23:52

      Hi Steve, thanks for your comments. I think PLAN is still valid, with the caveat for civilians that N is a last resort. A covers the W and F of PLWF. What I particularly like about John’s teaching is the question of “what will harm me first?”. Brilliantly simple, easy to remember, but powerful in its application and flexibilty to be applied in any circumstance.

      All the best,

      Paul

      Reply
  2. Tony goundry says:
    at 15:17

    Another great podcast Paul very interesting stuff

    Reply
    1. Paul Kirtley says:
      at 23:48

      Glad you liked it Tony. Cheers, Paul

      Reply
  3. Mick says:
    at 18:08

    Fabulous again Paul. I really enjoyed this episode and have bought the book which I am finding excellent. Got it today and half way through already. Some fascinating aspects of survival covered in the podcast with much food for thought. I see John is presenting near me in November so I shall attend that. Great the power a podcast has, to spend my money and fill my diary. Thanks Paul, really appreciate your efforts.
    Mick

    Reply
    1. Paul Kirtley says:
      at 23:46

      Hi Mick, as always it’s great to hear from you. I glad you enjoyed this podcast in particular as well as benefitting from the book and finding a talk near to you.

      All the best,

      Paul

      Reply
      1. Mick says:
        at 11:01

        even worse, i now keep watching “dude your screwed”

        Reply
        1. Paul Kirtley says:
          at 22:53

          Haha 🙂

          Reply
  4. Alex Osborne says:
    at 20:49

    Hi Paul
    Really great conversation with John Hudson; I love his open minded take on survival and the mental aspects involved, particularly with reference to classical Stoicism.
    As always you’re spot in with your questions and the whole feel of the conversation. Top stuff!
    Cheers
    Alex

    Reply
    1. Paul Kirtley says:
      at 23:44

      Thanks for your feedback Alex. Glad you liked the Stoicism part in particular 🙂 Warm regards, Paul

      Reply
  5. Terry Manning says:
    at 09:16

    Paul,once again a really good podcast,this one i think was so real, and clearly explained what/how to think about these situations.
    I shall buy the book too.!

    Reply
    1. Paul Kirtley says:
      at 23:43

      Hi Terry, good to hear from you. Glad you liked the reality of the subject. You’ll definitely like John’s book.

      Cheers,

      Paul

      Reply
  6. Matt Meadows says:
    at 22:21

    That was a quality podcast. Full of excellent and thought provoking information.

    I’m currently reading John’s book. I was also interested to hear of your own book in progress. I look forward to reading that too on publication.

    Best regards

    Matt

    Reply
    1. Paul Kirtley says:
      at 22:54

      Thanks Matt. I’m happy you found this valuable. Thanks also for your interest in my book. It’s nearly finished…

      Reply
  7. Alex Elton-Wall says:
    at 07:50

    Hi Paul

    Thanks for another podcast. This one was really fascinating. A great conversation. I will definitely be buying John’s book.

    Thanks again

    Alex

    Reply
    1. Paul Kirtley says:
      at 09:37

      Hi Alex, thanks for your comment. I’m glad you liked this one. Enjoy John’s book.

      Warm regards,

      Paul

      Reply
  8. Steve says:
    at 11:51

    Really interesting podcast. Another vote for his book and yours when it comes out!
    I was particularly struck by the way John has simplified information and taken it away from the hard edge of operational military survival to presenting it in a more accessible manner for the the civilian world.

    Reply
    1. Paul Kirtley says:
      at 00:08

      Hi Steve, thanks for your feedback on this podcast and for your vote of confidence in our respective books. Yes, John’s book is very accessible yet nonetheless still contains very powerful concepts.

      Warm regards,

      Paul

      Reply
  9. Marcel Lafond says:
    at 20:03

    Realistic optimism is definitely key to success in anything. Don’t bullshit yourself, look in the mirror and get off of Mount Stupid. (To paraphrase a brilliant Instructor I know) ;-).
    I anxiously wait for your book. I will definitely buy it (yes, I am realistically optimistic that it will be well written, informative and useful.)
    I may look into John’s book as well.
    Marcel

    Reply
  10. Tim Smith says:
    at 01:27

    Long-time listener, first time commenter. I’m a big fan of all of your work. Really appreciated this discussion with John Hudson. Lots of great insights.

    Reply
  11. Paul Piluso says:
    at 03:56

    I thoughly enjoyed this Podcast. John Hudson, was both extremely knowledeable and very entertaining, The questions Paul, asked were on point. The psychological aspects of survival that John discussed, were very thought provoking, and apply to not only being in wild but for every aspect of life, no mater the environment. I look forward to reading his book.

    Reply
    1. Paul Kirtley says:
      at 12:58

      Hi Paul, thanks for your feedback on this podcast. I’m very glad you thoroughly enjoyed it as well as found the conversation thought provoking. I think you’ll definitely find John’s book valuable too.

      Warm regards,

      Paul

      Reply
  12. Caroline says:
    at 14:07

    First time commenting. Very interesting podcast. Probably not as relevant for us temperate climate noobs, apart from the psychological “stoic” approach to a survival situation. Having said that, there might be a situation where I’d have to survive on a Scottish, Welsh or Cumbrian mountain, all be it unlikely. Ha! I threw the tv out a couple of decades ago and prefer social media, with my “common sense” filters engaged ofcourse :/
    Despite not being particularly relevant to any situation I personally might find myself in, enjoyable to listen to nevertheless and I imagine way more useful to hardcore travellers/survival geeks. Thanks Paul

    Reply
  13. Andy Jamieson says:
    at 09:58

    Excellent podcast Paul thanks.
    I was very interested regarding the theory of slow burning effect on realisation of ones predicament being a survival situation.
    I like to use the motto “make good decisions early” to anticipate and hopefully avoid any unintended discomfort shall we say!
    It has served me well despite being criticised for changing plans based on a weather forecast that never materialised! My answer to this was I made the decision based on the information we had to hand at that time including weather forecast, group capabilities and equipment.
    That being said despite good decision making I understand we may unfortunately find our selves realising not all is as planned……..
    Anyway I digress, sorry. My question I wanted task to you is this…….
    On the realisation of ones predicament being a matter of survival would it then be safe to assume rules and regulations may then be broken?
    I’m talking about hunting methods, seasons, licences, species etc etc.

    Reply

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