He’s driven a taxi to the ends of the Earth and journeyed from southern India to the Himalayas in a rickshaw; now Matt Prior is channeling his explorer’s spirit into the MP Group, the company he formed to help people and businesses realise their true potential.

After six years in the Royal Air Force, Prior’s career in adventure began in earnest, as he sought to push the limits of not only himself, but also a series of increasingly unsuitable vehicles. These motor-powered expeditions included driving a £150 car from London to Mongolia and back, and a WWII motorbike around the largest freshwater lake in the world (in the depths of Russian winter).

But what drives his own desire to take on these unique challenges? The answer, he says, lies in an obsession with what’s yet to be achieved.

Q: What’s the toughest expedition you’ve been on?
A: ‘I wouldn’t say one in particular was the toughest, but certain aspects from each one stand out in their own way. Sometimes it's mental, sometimes it's physical, sometimes it’s the situation you find yourself in, and sometimes it’s purely holding yourself and your team together to get whatever it is you want to get done, done.’

‘I’ve been in all extremes of environments in all sorts of situations, each helping with that library of mental references and experiences to draw on. On each occasion I was stretched in different ways and I like it like that. I like the variety and confronting the unknown. I like not knowing what situation I’m going to end up in, what I’m going to learn, who I’m going to meet and how it will all help going forward. That’s a large part of why I do them.’

‘Is getting arrested for terrorism tougher than pushing for a summit? Is having a friend with a broken leg in the middle of nowhere tougher than having a gun pointed in your face? Is the jungle worse than the desert? I could go on and on, it’s subjective and depends on your strengths and weaknesses, and the situation at the time.’

Q: What is the MP Group?
A: ‘It’s a small group of specialist companies which were started from my passion for adventure and have naturally evolved from the MP Adventure Academy, including: MP Performance which works with ex UK Special Forces in outdoor environments to bring out the best in people; AdventureX, which creates a trusted space for people to truly connect while exploring comfort zones to gain perspective; and a Special Projects division which covers anything from world firsts to TV and film. We are also starting a new company to become the “go to” for genuine and unique adventures in Asia.’

Q: Having experienced everything from monsoons to snow blizzards, how pivotal is the weather in determining whether an expedition is likely to succeed or fail?
A: ‘I think the weather plays a huge part in expeditions – far more than people realise. The key is in the planning and preparation. As long as you’ve done your research, considered worst-case scenarios and have a solid plan in place, it’s then more about the mental battle than anything else. If you haven’t, the weather and environmental conditions could well wreak havoc on whatever it is you’re planning on doing.’

Find out more about Matt Prior’s MP Performance and the MP Adventure Academy at Mattprior.co.uk. Follow @mattprioruk

Words: Issac Williams