Interview with Recruit 11 - Rebekah
Category: Press Pack ArticleRebekah
Recruit: 11
Age: 43
Profession: Solicitor and Personal Training Gym Owner
Hometown/Region: Bristol
Background
Rebekah was brought up in a strict Mormon household that she never felt she belonged in. She couldn’t relate to the restrictions that came with the religion and even as a young child constantly questioned the faith, especially when she eventually found herself becoming homeless at age 16.
Bravely, and determined to make a success of her life, Rebekah decided to re-sit her GCSEs and A Levels, in order to give herself the opportunity to study to become a lawyer, whilst at the same time working to pay her own rent.
Throughout her life, Rebekah has found herself in damaging relationships. However, being on SAS: Who Dares Wins has empowered her to take control of her life. She has freed herself from destructive relationships and now focuses on being a mum and a successful lawyer. Always having that drive to work hard, Rebekah also runs her own personal training gym.
Tell me about your experience on SAS: Who Dares Wins?
The words that spring to mind are: exciting, petrifying, nerve wracking… I was completely out of my comfort zone, but this was a once in a lifetime experience and an opportunity to meet truly inspirational and amazing people. Overall, this experience gave me a light bulb moment in my own life by finally freeing me from over 35 years of abuse and control, which I have allowed others to have over me.
Did you find it difficult? Was it more difficult than you expected?
I found it extremely difficult and nothing prepares you for this experience. I trained so hard for the physical challenges I would face, but no amount of training prepared me for the emotional exposure and vulnerabilities I experienced..
Have you ever done anything like this before?
Although I have experienced a tremendous amount of turmoil in my life, nothing compares to this experience and it has given me a whole new level of self-confidence and a new lease of life!
What made you sign up?
I’d reached an all-time low. I was stuck in another destructive relationship, was recovering from viral meningitis, had no family to lean on for support, no money and no job, all of which made me let go of myself. I wondered how I allowed myself to fall back to rock bottom after making a success of myself since I was made homeless at 16. I had been stripped of all my confidence and felt completely lost.
I knew I had to find a new focus and a goal. So I set my sights on a big challenge, just like I had to back when I was 16 and found myself alone at a bus stop, with nowhere to go and nothing to my name except my determination and the will to positively succeed against all odds. So I decided to apply for this show. I never expected to be accepted, but it gave me the impetus, and focus I needed to pull myself out of a dark hole for the sake of myself and my son. I knew I had reached a point in my life where I had to stop the cycle of abuse I had found myself in, that was controlling me. I was so worn out both mentally and physically and had to find a way to forge an independent life both mentally, emotionally and financially. But it all felt so insurmountable at the time, so I started off with the only thing I always turn to when feeling so helpless - a totally absorbing, physical challenge!
What training did you do in preparation for this course?
A wide variety of running, assault bike, cold water swimming, bodyweight circuits, strength and HIT based training and I trained a minimum of nine times per week.
Now that you have this experience, would you like to join the real Special Forces?
If I was 20 years younger, then definitely!
What was the best part of the series for you?
The best and hardest part of the series for me was that it gave me the opportunity and strength, both physically and mentally, to address the emotional scars that I have endured my whole life. On the course, I felt I had finally unlocked the shackles I had been tied to from a young age. This experience taught me how to survive by not being afraid to stand up for myself!!! It also taught me important boundaries to protect myself going forward.
What is your biggest fear and has this experience helped you get over that fear?
My biggest fear was not being able to realise my potential, but this course made me finally regain control of my life and my decision making. I overcame this fear when I realised I have a choice and a voice, which I never knew I had before.
Do you think you found it harder than the male recruits?
No, not at all! We all had our personal reasons for being there so certain tasks and situations would have been equally as challenging for us all in our own way.
You had to share all your space with men for the whole time you were there, including sleeping and toilets. How did you find that?
That wasn’t a problem for me at all.
Would you ever do it again?
Yes, in a heartbeat.
What do you think you’ve learnt about yourself?
As corny as it sounds, I have finally learnt to say no for the very first time in my life.
My upbringing drilled into me the need to be compliant, complicit, and I conformed in order to survive as a result of this. I allowed myself to be stripped of my confidence and lost direction, even though deep down, I knew there was the person inside me who was bursting to be freed.
After being on the course, I vividly remember having an overwhelming feeling of calm and peace that I didn’t need to beat myself into the ground to prove myself to anyone anymore, fearing the consequences and what other people might think. I now feel in control of my own destiny and my life.
Has being on the series changed your life in anyway?
Yes, absolutely and unequivocally. Looking back, I realised that the reason I went on the course was to finally learn to stand up for myself, to have a voice and to say no to something that didn’t feel right. I returned back home with a renewed confidence in my ability to succeed without the need to be abused and controlled. I could finally be in control of my own life without existing in fear that if I didn’t do as I was told, I would be abandoned or there would be consequences, which used to be the familiar pattern in my old life.
In the last few months, I have become far more successful with my work, am applying for a promotion, and am valued by my friends for who I am. I feel like my life has finally just begun and I thank the show for this truly eye-opening experience and for giving me the opportunity to make my own choices in life.
I have learnt that the impossible is possible and that you can achieve anything, against all odds if you have the desire, passion, patience, hard work ethic and most importantly, the ability to learn from your mistakes and experiences.
I am truly grateful for every hardship I have experienced because it has made me who I am today and I hope I can somehow inspire others to believe in themselves, even when they are stripped down to having literally nothing.
Opportunity is out there for everybody, it’s just harder for some but that makes the journey more worthwhile.
I have never felt so excited and positive about my future and I definitely have this experience, this course and this series to thank for that.