Photo by Vitaliy Shevchenko on Unsplash
And just kick ass, in general.
It took me way too long to write this piece, there are so many wild, talented, fierce and capable women out there. It was hard to narrow it down, let alone condense the powerful forces that make up Gina Chick, Megan Hine and Ky Furneaux. I’ll be happy if I’ve done these women even close to justice. I hope you enjoy learning about them as much as I did, and that they inspire you to push yourself further out of your comfort zone and guide you towards embracing your wild.
Gina Chick – Winner of Alone Australia (Season 1), adventurer, rewilding facilitator
Gina Chick is the first winner of Alone Australia, making her the second female and oldest contestant to win in the history of the series worldwide.
Magic happens when we really tune into wild nature. When we remember who we are under our human stories. The wisdom coiled in our DNA from eons of hunter-gatherer ancestors rises first in whispers, then in triumphant shouts, then in ravishing heart song. We remember we were born wild. https://www.mamamia.com.au/gina-chick-alone-australia-2023/
A rewilding facilitator, adventurer, writer and speaker, Gina is a treasure trove of wisdom about living as a wild being and (luckily for us!) runs a myriad of incredible courses. I am yet to go on one, but it’s on my radar for 2024 and I’ll be sure to share my experience with you afterwards.
If you haven’t watched her season of Alone yet – what are you waiting for? Gina allows you to enter her world. We dance with her barefoot amongst the moss, and sing to a curious platypus checking out their new neighbour. We travel to the deepest and darkest parts of her being, and grieve with her as she pays vigil on the eve of her late daughter’s birthday.
A survivor and wild woman in every sense of the word, I have no doubt Gina Chick has what it takes to win the apocalypse. She has not only survived but thrived through some of life’s darkest challenges, and is the epitome of inspiration. I would recommend learning from her if you’re looking to remember your wild.*
Megan Hine – Producer, wilderness guide and survivalist
I hadn’t heard about Megan Hine until I started writing this blog, but (wo)man am I glad to have discovered her! She is one rad human. Her unique skillset have taken her all around the world, leading expeditions in remote areas, presenting tv shows and working as a survival consultant for Bear Grylls.
In moments of high stress, my automatic response now is to lock my emotions — fear and anxiety — into a metal box in my head. It gives me the clarity to make quick decisions in potentially life and death situations.
-Megan Hine
With her father a geologist father and her mother a physical geographer, it seems Megan was destined for the outdoorsy life. At just 12 years old she was wild camping – solo – behind the hills of her parents house in the UK (I had only gone as far as sleeping in a tent in our suburban backyard by this point!).
Eventually she joined the military cadets, where she had a lot of adventure training and enjoyed pushing her limits. However one night while camping, Megan realised that although she had spent most of her life adventuring outdoors, she didn’t really know the outdoors. Her knowledge was in how to shield herself from nature, but she wanted to learn to work with it.
It wasn’t long after this that she discovered bushcraft. A friend of hers had bought tickets to see a bushcraft show and it ‘blew her mind’. She saw how much there was to learn about plants and their medicinal properties, the names of trees, and the birds and wildlife around her.
It wasn’t long before she qualified as an expedition leader, and further down the line, TV producer. Having produced some of the biggest adventure and survival shows on TV, Megan’s no-nonsense attitude has undoubtedly served her well.
There isn’t a place for macho style in survival because that sort of behaviour gets you killed
-Megan Hine
Having survived killer snakes, being encircled by hungry lions, and gun-toting opium farmers throughout her many adventures, I’m confident she would do more than just fine in an apocalypse – she would thrive!
You can learn more about Megan and check out her adventure offerings at her website here.
Ky Furneaux – Adventurer, survivalist, stuntwoman, Naked & Afraid contestant
Last but never least, we have the wonderful Ky Furneaux. Ky grew up in South Australia and spent much of her childhood horse-riding in the bush and generally just enjoying small-town country kid freedom.
So often we think we have reached our limits when we actually have so much more we can give.
– Ky Furneaux
At 19, her life suddenly changed when she was involved in a car accident that fractured a vertebrae in her spine. Told that she would never be physically active again, Ky defied this diagnosis and turned to rock climbing as her recovery tool.
This led her to pursue a career in stunts, and she trained in Canada for three years ultimately landing her first ‘big job’ as Sharon Stone’s double in Catwoman. Her career took off, and she won the World Taurus Stunt Award for The Best Female Stunt Performer in the world in 2012.
She also became a qualified outdoor guide in kayaking, sailing and hiking and has travelled the world, mostly on solo journeys. She pushes herself physically and mentally, to the limit. For example, she completed a 100 mile (over 160km) hike across the Sierra Nevada with just a pocket knife by her side and has starred in three episodes of Discovery’s Naked and Afraid. Ever the trailblazer, she was also the only female on season two of Discovery’s First Man Out.
With such a wide skill-set and her experience as Catwoman, Elektra and more, Ky would confidently dominate in an apocalypse!
There is so much more to say about Ky – she is a tv presenter, author, and speaker and a wealth of talent and information. Check out her website and learn more about her adventures here.
Closing notes
Discussing these three incredible women’s ability to come out on top in an apocalypse is a moot point. I’m 1000% certain all three of them would do just fine on their own, but more likely than not they would band together to form the ultimate survivalist community and save us all! Thanks for reading, I hope you’re feeling inspired by these amazing women.
*Gina is also a beautifully talented writer. I encourage you to check out her substack here.
