“My Christian faith is my backbone”

I didn’t want to do eight seasons of How To Build A Fire. The intention was to make something fun and dynamic and about self rescue, not about whittling.

Life doesn’t reward the naturally clever or strong but those who can learn to fight and work hard and never quit.

Eating any of these things, goat testicles or what have you, isn’t going to be nice, but you get into that zone, you become focussed and you do what you need to do. It’s all about one thing: coming home in one piece.

Are you the sort of person who can turn around when you have nothing left, and find that little bit extra inside you to keep going, or do you sag and wilt with exhaustion? It is a mental game, and it is hard to tell how people will react until they are squeezed.

When I’m filming, survival requires movement. You need your energy, and you’ve got to eat the bad stuff, and survival food is rarely pretty, but you kind of do it. I get in that zone, and I eat the nasty stuff, but I’m not like that when I’m back home.

A man’s pride can be his downfall, and he needs to learn when to turn to others for support and guidance.

As for my diet, I try to eat lean, clean and healthy – nothing too surprising. And I avoid too much meat or dairy because they slow you down.

Weather can kill you so fast. The first priority of survival is getting protection from the extreme weather.

To get ready to climb Everest, I did a lot of hill running with a daypack on and a lot of underwater swimming. I would swim a couple of lengths underwater and then a couple above. It gets your body going with limited oxygen.

The extremes of jungles, mountains, and deserts are inherently dangerous places.

I come from a line of self-motivated, determined folk – not grand, not high society, but no-nonsense, family-minded go-getters.

It can be hard to explain. But I also relate to the quote that says, Iif you have to ask, you will never understand.

The line between life or death is determined by what we are willing to do.

Life has taught me to be very cautious of a man with a dream, especially a man who has teetered on the edge of life. It gives a fire and recklessness inside that is hard to quantify.

The greatest journeys all start with a single step.

My best life lessons and education didn’t come from a classroom – they’ve come from the wild. How you act in the big moments, the ones that challenge you, scare you, tempt you, and force you to make the right decisions, is what defines you.

To me, songwriting is the backbone of Nashville.

Even if I wear jeans, I still wear a blazer and jewelry. I think there is something nice about coming to work and dressing nicely.

My mom has always been kind of my backbone. She keeps me strong. She is a mother, a friend. She is really everything to me.

We’re always looking for the backbone, the central idea, and once you have that you know everything can circle around it.

I have the backbone of an eel.

My parents are my backbone. Still are. They’re the only group that will support you if you score zero or you score 40.

You’re my backbone. You’re a blessing. You’re a piece of my heart. You’re the air I breathe. And you’re the strongest person I know, and I’m so sorry for having to put you through this and having to put our family through this.