Anna Humphries is an adventurer, expedition leader, and founder of The Mountain Girl, whose life is dedicated to getting people outdoors and showing them what's possible when you push past your comfort zone.
A trained Mountain Leader, Scout Leader, and key member of the Bear Grylls Survival Academy team, Anna has designed and led survival programmes across the UK and around the world. Her work spans everything from logistics and programme development to standing on the frontlines with groups of young people, teaching them resilience and grit in the wild.
Adventure runs through her veins. She has hiked to Everest Base Camp, raced through the National Three Peaks Challenge multiple times — her fastest in under 20 hours — and was part of the first female team to Stand Up Paddle Board across the English Channel. Whether it's trail running, paddle boarding, or exploring high peaks, Anna thrives on testing her own limits while inspiring others to do the same.
Through The Mountain Girl, Anna champions accessibility in the outdoors, especially for women and young people. She believes in the power of nature to build confidence, connection, and courage.
Her mission is simple: to encourage more people to experience the wild, to discover their inner strength, and to prove to themselves that they are tougher than they think.
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.
Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/
Your support makes a difference. 
Thank you x
Show notes
- Who is Anna
- Founder of Mountain Girl
- Growing up close to the Malven Hills
- Being the role model that she needed when she was growing up
- Her early years
- Having an older sister and a twin sister
- Why the Malvens were an adventure playground for her
- Why her teenage years were tough
- Not being in love with herself
- Never feeling as though she fitted in
- Losing her way
- Role models
- Trying 27 jobs….
- Dealing with the doubt in her brain
- The stories she was telling herself
- Describing yourself in different adjectives
- Wanting to be strong and adventurous
- Starting to follow people who inspired her on instagram
- Needing to lose weight and feeling unhealthy
- Tapping into her inner child
- Taking 2 years to lose weight, and getting rid of the hate in her head
- Adventure - Love - Happiness
- I am - I am - I am
- Developing Mountain Girl
- Duke of Edinburgh Award
- Receiving her gold award
- Volunteering in Scouts
- Badge motivation!
- Starting to head off on her own adventures
- Getting her qualifications and upping her skills
- Becoming a Mountain Leader and how it opened up future opportunities
- Future events happening in 2026
- Visiting Mt. Everest Base Camp
- Setting herself big challenges
- Wanting to share her adventures
- Being adventure driven and not ego driven
- Paddle Boarding across the English Channel
- Becoming a SUP coach
- Overcoming her fear of heights
- Taking on the National Three Peaks Challenge
- The importance of rewards
- How you can connect with Anna
- Final words of advice
- Be the person you needed when you were growing up
- Start to explore social media see what it going on
- Find the inspiration and follow it
- BE IT!!!
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Ruthie's Table 4
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com