The Survival Debrief Podcast – Real Talk With TV Survivalists

If you’ve ever watched a survival show and thought, “What really happened out there?” – this podcast is for you.

I’m Steven Kelly – British Commando, survival instructor and Naked and Afraid alum – and I created The Survival Debrief Podcast to lift the lid on life after the cameras stop rolling.

🎧 Listen here:
👉 The Survival Debrief Podcast with Steven Kelly on Spotify

Why I Started The Survival Debrief

After appearing on Naked and Afraid, Naked and Afraid: Apocalypse and other survival shows, my inbox filled up with the same questions:

  • “How real is it, really?”
  • “What’s the hardest part that we don’t see on TV?”
  • “How do you go back to normal life after that kind of experience?”

I realised there was nowhere for survivalists to sit down, breathe, and tell the full story without a time limit or a TV script.

That’s why I launched The Survival Debrief – a place where I sit down with:

  • Naked and Afraid and Apocalypse survivalists
  • Contestants from other shows like Alone and more
  • People who live and breathe adventure, bushcraft and resilience

…and we break down what really happens when you’re cold, hungry, exhausted and still trying to keep your head together.

What You’ll Hear On The Show

Each episode is a proper debrief – the kind we’d do in the military or around a campfire after a hard evolution.

We dig into:

🪓 The reality behind the edit

What you see in 42 minutes of TV is a tiny slice of the full challenge. On the podcast we talk about:

  • The moments that never made it into the episode
  • The injuries, scares and close calls
  • The mental battles that happen when the cameras aren’t right in your face

🧠 Survival mindset and resilience

It’s not just about fire, shelter and water. We also break down:

  • How people cope with fear, pain and loneliness
  • What makes someone keep going when others tap out
  • Lessons you can steal for normal life – from work stress to family stuff

🧭 Behind-the-scenes of TV survival

We’re honest about:

  • What it’s like dealing with a camera crew while you’re freezing and starving
  • How people handle social media and sudden attention afterwards
  • The difference between “TV survival” and the way we do it in real training

Who The Podcast Is For

The Survival Debrief is for you if:

  • You love shows like Naked and Afraid, Naked and Afraid: Apocalypse, Alone, and other adventure series
  • You’re into bushcraft, survival and the outdoors and want to learn from real-world experiences
  • You’re curious about mindset, resilience and pushing your limits
  • You just want to hear raw, honest stories from people who have been cold, hungry, scared – and kept moving anyway

Whether you’re a weekend hiker, a serving veteran, or just someone who likes watching people suffer on TV from the comfort of your sofa, there’s something in here for you.

How This Fits Into My Mission

Everything I do – from South West Survival courses to Commando Expeditions and my TV work – comes back to one mission:

Help people build a survival mindset so they’re ready for anything.

The podcast is another way to do that.

By hearing how other survivalists navigated fear, failure, embarrassment, pain and success, you’ll pick up:

  • Practical survival tips
  • Mental tools you can use in everyday life
  • Inspiration to step outside your comfort zone, even just a little bit

Listen & Subscribe

You can listen to The Survival Debrief Podcast with Steven Kelly on all major platforms. Start here on Spotify:

🎧 👉 https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEywXoYZsNr3De4cdLQ1U

If you enjoy an episode, it helps massively if you:

  • Hit follow/subscribe on the platform you use
  • Leave a quick rating or review
  • Share an episode with a mate who loves survival or outdoor TV

It costs you nothing but makes a huge difference in helping this show – and the stories of the guests – reach more people.

Got A Question For A Future Debrief?

If there’s a survivalist you’d love me to bring on, or a question you’ve always wanted to ask about survival TV, drop me a message:

  • On Instagram: @survival_ste
  • Via my website contact page

You might hear your question on a future episode of The Survival Debrief.

See you on the next debrief. 🔥

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