MY STORY

My name is Mike Pullen. I am an outdoorsman and adventure filmmaker and I document my adventures on my YouTube Channel TA Outdoors. Many of you know what I do. But few of you know the story of my past and how I got to where I am now, which is a full time YouTuber. So if you are willing to take a minute, this is my story....

I grew up a fisherman, thanks to my Dad. As soon as I could walk, I had a fishing rod in my hand. My earliest fishing memory was catching minnows in a stream with Dad. The sound of trickling water over small rocks and stones will always be a fond memory of mine. I remember vividly that when we packed up for the day we had to cross a large field full of cows. Cows are curious creatures. So when we got half way across the field we noticed that they began to follow us. Naturally, we picked up the pace. But so did the cows..... Our brisk walking eventually turned into a run, and I remember the fear of knowing we might not be able to make it to the fence. Dad could see I was flagging behind as I was only small, so he hoisted me up onto his shoulders. It felt like a marathon, but eventually we made it to the fence and he plonked me on the other side safely. It's only as I got older that I realised he knew all along that the cows would not cause us harm. But he turned it into an exciting adventure. He deliberately went into a jog so that I would experience that little bit of "fear excitement" as I like to call it. My Dad was the main inspiration for my love of the outdoors. He was always keen to bring me along with him on his adventures. I would always watch him as he went about fishing, tying knots, putting bait on the hook etc. He always showed a passion for the outdoors and this had a really positive impact on my childhood. 

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a world where the internet was not everywhere. In fact, we didn't have internet until I was 16 years old. And DAMN AM I GRATEFUL FOR THAT! I got to experience growing up without technology everywhere, and it was brilliant. I was always outdoors with friends, in the woods or out on the sports field. 

Sports was my thing growing up. I was addicted. I wanted to learn and play every sport imaginable, and I was fortunate enough to play sports throughout my teens until my early twenties. Rugby, Football and Hockey (field hockey) were my main sports. But I also enjoyed tennis, badminton, athletics, gymnastics, swimming, cycling and pretty much most sports. I was fortunate enough to play Hockey at 1st team level at University.

With sports having such a big impact on my life, I ended up taking a Sports Management degree at Bournemouth University and after 4 years I successfully achieved my BSc degree in Sports Management. I then went on to become a school teacher. For 6 years I taught PE, sports and Geography. Other than sports, I always had a keen interest in Geography as a kid. It was one of the few subjects at school that fascinated me. I studied it throughout my school career. Ironic how I then became a Geography and Sports Teacher... 

During the time I was teaching, I was actually running a Fishing YouTube Channel with my Dad called "Totally Awesome Fishing", or "TAFishing" for short (you can see where the name TA Outdoors stemmed from!). This became a huge success in the UK, and it's currently the largest fishing YouTube Channel in the whole of Europe! 

But for me it wasn't all about fishing. Fishing was the catalyst for my love of the outdoors. It wasn't long before learning about fish and their environment, turned into nature and how I could work with it to create fire, shelter and even food. This, is how my love of "Bushcraft" became an addiction. So I told Dad, I'm going to start up another YouTube Channel which will be about the general outdoors and not fishing specific. It didn't take us long before we came up with the name....

And so TA Outdoors was born. I have since been fortunate enough to see my channel grow. And to have it grow to the point where I can do this as a full time job really is an incredible feeling. I have somehow managed to turn something I have loved doing since a child, into a full time occupation. I say occupation because to me it is not a job. It is a passion and a way of living. And I guess I have you guys to thank for that. I feel incredibly blessed to be doing what I do. And rest assured I am not taking it for granted. 

But if things go wrong, and somehow the internet crashes one day, and youtube is no more, at least I will always have that memory of being on my Dad's shoulders, fishing rod in hand, ready to conquer what ever troubles lay ahead of me.....