The Journey
My Early Years and Professional Beginnings
I am a Punjabi British woman who joined the Army Reserves at 19, where I eventually commissioned in 2012. I went to university to study Physiotherapy and graduated that same year, I was the first person in my family to get a degree and it remains one of my greatest achievements.
The Call of Greater Challenges
My appetite for greater and greater challenges started to grow, beginning with my first half marathon at 20. After completing my first marathon, I decided to try an ultra-marathon. Dusk till Dawn (50 miles in the Peak District) left me feeling very achy and exhausted, but I had already caught the bug. My definition of what is normal started to change.
A Career in the Regular Army and a Passion for Adventure
At 27, I joined the Regular Army and haven’t looked back. I’ve completed large scale exercises and deployments in Nepal and Kenya, as well as a six-month UN peacekeeping tour in South Sudan. It was there that I organised and completed a 30-hour endurance event to raise money for charity, with fellow soldiers joining me for a few hours at a time.
Global Expeditions and Training
My personal adventures have grown too. I’ve been on hiking and climbing trips across Kenya, Morocco, Mexico, the Alps, Bolivia, Peru, and Iceland. All of my mountaineering and polar training is documented here on the site.
Redefining What’s Possible
Anything ambitious can feel out of reach at the beginning, but I’m often still amazed at how far I’ve come. I am ambitious, driven, and incredibly motivated. When I initially told my family of my plan to cross Antarctica, some of them thought I was talking about Southall rather than the South Pole! My brother wasn’t surprised, he just said, ‘you never give up’. The British Army’s chief of the general staff, General Mark Carleton-Smith, also praised my ‘grit and determination’ after my success. It is a great reminder that the more you do, the more you realise what you are truly capable of.