Everest adventurer Holly Budge on fear, risk and why 'talent is everywhere but opportunity isn't'

Farnham-based adventurer Holly Budge has spoken about the mindset that took her to the summit of Everest, made her the first woman to skydive over the mountain and now drives her work supporting thousands of female wildlife rangers around the world.

Budge said fear never disappeared during some of the most extreme moments of her career, but learning not to let it take control became fundamental to the way she approaches risk.

Speaking exclusively to Female Motivational Speakers Agency, she reflected on spending 30 minutes alone at the summit of Everest.

“It's quite an experience sitting on the summit of Everest. I was privileged enough to have the summit myself for 30 minutes, which is just incredible. Most people don't get that opportunity, and a bluebird day,” she said.

“On Everest, standing at the summit or jumping out of an airplane above it when I became the first woman to skydive Everest, people expect fear to disappear, but it doesn't.

“The fear is very much still there, but it's no longer in charge.”

Budge said her experiences have taught her to separate fear from genuine risk.

“I have this thing that you can outplay fear, but risk is something that you have to respect,” she said.

“So there's definitely a differentiation between fear and risk.

“But when your why becomes louder, I think that that's the shift that I teach through my keynote talks. Don't wait to feel fearless. You're never going to feel fearless.

“I think building a why that's bigger than the comfort, than your comfort. That's bigger than your excuses and your doubt.

“Because when the stakes rise, you don't rise to the occasion. You fall back on what's driving you in the first place.”

Her work has also taken her from extreme expeditions to the frontline of wildlife conservation in Africa, where she has patrolled alongside female and mixed anti-poaching teams.

For Budge, those experiences presented a different type of pressure.

“Patrolling on the front line with all female and mixed anti-poaching teams in Africa made climbing Everest look like child's play,” she said.

“The front line is a very volatile, unpredictable environment.”

She said one quality she saw repeatedly among the women was emotional intelligence under pressure.

“These women, they read the environment. They read each other and risk in a deeply intuitive way. They have to. Their lives are literally on the line.

“When I climbed Everest, that's a risk that I took, that I chose to take. But for them patrolling on the front line, that's not always a risk that they've chosen. That's their everyday work. That's their reality. And it's a dangerous place to be.

“They communicate more, they collaborate more, they make fewer ego-driven decisions, they use the power of conversation.

“And I've seen that firsthand, and it's truly humbling.”

Budge believes the same qualities have relevance far beyond conservation.

“In a boardroom, I think that translates to better decisions, fewer blind spots, and stronger teams,” she said.

Her expeditions have also shaped the way she thinks about the difference between calculated risk and recklessness.

“During extreme expeditions, things always go wrong. That's an absolute certainty right there,” Budge said.

“The difference is that reckless says, ‘I've come this far. I'm not stopping.’ And smart says, ‘What does success actually look like here?’”

She recalled meeting people on Everest who had arrived with little experience of the conditions they were about to face.

“I met people on Everest that had never stepped foot on snow before, never put on a pair of crampons before, and I felt really horrified by this,” she said.

“So, a huge part of what I do is preparation, and I think that ties over very well into the business world as well.

“On long endurance challenges, I've had to make decisions where my ego wanted to continue, but logic says stop, pause, adapt, and reroute.

“So that's the risk ready mindset thinking, detaching from ego and attaching to outcome.”

Away from expeditions, Budge set up World Female Ranger Week six years ago to amplify the voices of female wildlife rangers and advocate for their work.

She said she is now working with more than 6,000 female wildlife rangers around the world, while the campaign has reached more than 500 million people through global media.

“I've met women who are leading on the front line of conservation yet they are completely invisible globally. So I set about changing that,” she said.

“It taught me that talent is everywhere but opportunity isn't.

“And if you only look in the usual places, you only find the usual people.

“So I think leaders need to actively go where others aren't looking, listen harder, and create platforms, not just opportunities.”

Budge said the same idea of purpose can help organisations reconnect their people with the impact of their work.

“I think it's about asking that question, who does your work actually serve?” she said.

“So on the front line, it's very clear. It's communities, it's women, it's wildlife.

“But in business, that connection can often get lost.

“So I think to find, in your words, your soul, you've got to reconnect your people for real impact.

“Not just metrics, but real meaning because purpose drives performance far more sustainably than pressure ever will.”

Budge now draws on those experiences in her public speaking, encouraging audiences to reconsider the risks they may be avoiding.

“I want people to leave my talks thinking what's the risk I've been avoiding and what would happen if I took it,” she said.

“Most people don't need more information. They need permission to think bigger, act bolder, and step into something that actually excites them and makes impact.

“So that's what being risk ready is all about.”

This exclusive interview with Holly Budge was conducted by Tabish Ali of the Motivational Speakers Agency.