S16 Ep7: Crumbs in Bed & Climbing Trees: Steve Backshall’s Wild Take on Fatherhood

In this episode of The Netmums Podcast, Wendy and Alison are joined by naturalist, adventurer, TV presenter, and dad-of-three Steve Backshall. Best known for Deadly 60 and his breathtaking wildlife expeditions, Steve chats candidly about the chaos, comedy, and deep joy of parenting alongside his wife, Olympic rower Helen Glover.

From breakfast-in-bed fails to scaling oak trees with his kids, Steve brings his trademark humour and heartfelt honesty to a wide-ranging conversation about fatherhood, family life, and his latest adventure into the world of podcasting.

The conversation covers:

• 
  The Everyday Wildness of Parenthood: Why tying shoelaces, meltdowns in public, and parenting “feral” children are his new extreme challenges.
  
  
• Finding Balance with Helen Glover: How he and Helen juggle Olympic-level careers, school runs, and quality family time (spoiler: not perfectly).
  
  
• Father’s Day Real Talk: Why he dreads breakfast in bed and what a "wholesome" Sunday looks like in the Backshall household.
  
  
• Parenting in the Public Eye: Navigating toddler tantrums when everyone’s watching—and yes, everyone is watching.
  
  
• Nature as a Reset Button: Steve’s powerful belief in the mental health benefits of the outdoors, and how a walk by the river can fix almost anything.
  
  
• Letting Kids Be Who They Are: The importance of not pushing children into your own passions—even if you really want them to love sharks.
  
  
• Big New Adventures: Steve’s exciting move into podcasting (That’s Just Wild) and his upcoming arena tour, Deadly Live, complete with dinosaurs, stunts, and stage science.

Stay connected with Netmums for more parenting stories, laughs, and real-life insights:
 Website: netmums.com
Instagram: @netmums
🎧 Produced by Decibelle Creative / @decibelle_creative