Captain Preet Chandi MBE – Breaking Boundaries: World Record-Breaking Polar Explorer Inspiring the Next Generation

Captain Preet Chandi MBE is a world record breaking explorer, former British Army officer, and physiotherapist. She served in the Royal Army Medical Corps for 16 years before embarking on groundbreaking polar expeditions.

In 2022, Preet became the ninth woman in history to ski solo to the South Pole, and the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition on the continent. Less than a year later, she set out on her next adventure, breaking two Guinness World Records for the longest solo unsupported one-way ski expedition, both for a woman and overall, covering 922 miles in 70 days.

She returned to Antarctica in December 2023 to set her fourth world record: the female speed record to the South Pole, completed in 31 days, 13 hours, and 19 minutes.

Preet’s expeditions are driven by her mission to inspire others to push boundaries. She champions the message that everyone starts somewhere, and that no matter your background or starting point in life, you are capable of breaking barriers and redefining what’s possible.

In 2025, she established her Community Interest Company, Adventure is Ours CIC, which supports expeditions that promote education, inspiration, climate awareness, and diversity in exploration. Through the CIC, she also delivers outreach, mentorship, and school visits to empower people of all ages.

In 2022, Preet started delivered her school talks across the UK, reaching more than 18,000 students. That same year, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Her achievements have been widely recognised: she received the ‘Inspirational’ and ‘Woman of the Year’ awards at the inaugural Women in Defence event in 2022, was named ‘Explorer of the Year’ in 2023, and in 2025 was awarded the prestigious Geographical Award by the Royal Geographical Society.

Past TGP episodes

July 8th 2021 - Preet Chandi - Army Physiotherapist, Ultra Runner, first solo unsupported expedition to South Pole!

Feb 15th 2022 - Preet Chandi - aka Polar Preet - 1st woman of colour to reach the South Pole 

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Show notes

• Who is Preet
• Originally from Darby, but basically living everywhere
• Spending 16 years in the Army
• Chatting to Preet previously on the Tough Girl Podcast
• Making the decision to leave the Army
• Coming back in debt 
• Getting straight back into work
• Starting the next fundraising cycle 
• Trying to get unpaid leave
• Doing her 3rd expedition without telling anyone
• Trying to cross the landmass on Antarctica on her 2nd trip
• Not making it 
• The voice in her head, telling her she had failed
• Feeling the relief when she finished
• Getting 2 records from the trip
• Why it’s ok to fail
• Being slated by an article 
• Feeling worried about what people in the adventure community would think of her
• Wondering if she could get the female speed record? (Needing to break 33 days)
• Why you don’t need to be the best to succeed
• Learning as she goes on
• Why 2023 was a tough year and struggling
• The impact on weight loss on your brain
• Burnout
• Starting to feel recovered
• Wanting to train for the North Pole
• Having time off
• Losing her granddad and hearing the news after the trip
• Building momentum
• Getting to sleep 8 hrs per night
• Talking about failure
• Making mistakes and being able to pinpoint them
• Being nervous to get started
• Needing to get going and hitting some storms at the start
• The voice in her head - being scared to fail, and being called a failure
• Using her pain relief before she though she would need to 
• Getting a polar thigh industry
• Starting to move more slowly towards the end 
• Focusing on the next 2hrs
• Getting home 
• Traumatic growth?
• The daily pain cave…
• Being made to slow down
• The costs of doing these trips 
• Getting help and support
• Trip 3 - the women’s speed record
• Dealing with the hunger
• The next big challenge - the north pole
• Why there is a high chance of failure
• You can not fail, unless you try
• Preparing for the misery and suffering 
• The privilege of being on the start line of adventures
• Lying to herself 
• Why not Preet!
• Needing luck on the next adventure 
• Wanting to show show much than you can do anything 
• You go and you try
• Why her trips are bigger than her
• Why adventure is for anyone
• Being very driven and being an encourager
• How to connect with Preet
• MBE and what it means
• What’s been achieved in 4 years
• Why you do belong in every single room
• The importance of the first step

 

Social Media

Website: www.polarpreet.com 

Instagram: @polarpreet 

Facebook: @polarpreet