Jacquetta Megarry didn’t grow up in the outdoors, and she certainly didn’t see herself as an adventurer—or a publisher. But turning 50 sparked a journey that would transform her life. From walking the West Highland Way with friends to summiting Mt Kilimanjaro, Jacquetta discovered the power of pacing yourself, listening to your body, and building unshakeable self-belief.
Her adventures inspired her to found Rucksack Readers, a guidebook company that helps hikers navigate trails around the world. Over 25 years later, Jacquetta shares stories from her experiences—from hiking in the UK during Storm Amy, to trekking the Inca Trail, to exploring Antarctica—along with lessons on making mistakes, learning from them, and embracing challenges at any age.
In this episode, Jacquetta shares how stepping outside your everyday life can open doors to new passions, transform confidence, and even create a career doing what you love. She offers practical tips for hikers, insights into publishing, and encouragement for women ready to explore the world on their own terms.
This episode is for you if you:
- Want inspiration to start a new adventure at any age
- Dream of hiking, trekking, or exploring the outdoors
- Are curious about publishing guidebooks and sharing your knowledge
- Believe it’s never too late to embrace challenges and grow
Ready to be inspired? Hit play and let Jacquetta take you on a journey of mountains, maps, and life-changing adventures.
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Show notes
- Who is Jacquetta
- Growing up in London and going to school there
- Living all her adult life in Scotland
- Living in Edinburgh
- Founding Rucksack Readers a guidebook company
- Not being sporty or into the great outdoors at a young age
- Turning 50 and deciding to go and walk the West Highland Way with 4 female friends to celebrate 200 years of womanhood
- Feeling dissatisfied with the official guidebook
- This frustration lay dormant for 18 months
- Heading off to climb Mt Kilimanjaro for the first time and why the altitude was a great leveller
- How climbing Kilimanjaro gave her the self belief in order to make a career change
- Going from working in IT to starting a guidebook company
- The importance of pacing yourself and listening to your body
- Building self belief on the mountain
- How only 9 out of the 16 made it to the summit
- Feeling health, taking photos and enjoying the experience
- Doing something so far outside your normal everyday life and how it can make you think differently about life
- Becoming a publisher and having the confidence to think you can write a guidebook after one experience
- Deciding to do the Inca Trail in 2001 and the challenges involved in gathering the info for a guidebook
- Why would you not want the paper to be rainproof?
- Hiking the Dales Way during Storm Amy
- Creating little map booklets for hikers (waterproof)
- Apps verses Guidebooks
- Planning a walk with ChatGPT
- The structure of the guidebook
- Mapping and keeping route information updated
- Being a volunteer - on the Xtreme Everest Project
- Dealing with altitude sickness - keeping well hydrated and monitoring her heart
- Maintaining a base level of fitness…
- Celebrating 25 years of Rucksack Readers
- Writing about the mistakes made in publishing
- Talking about failure and mistakes and the lessons made
- Visiting Antarctica and wanting to go sea kayaking and see the emperor penguins
- Dealing with the cold and the conditions on the ship
- How her hiking has changed now entering her 70s
- The joy of being a publisher and being able to follow her passions
- Future challenge and revisiting the Dales Way
- Succession planning for Rucksack Readers
- Having a year of consolidation and looking after the future
- How to connect with Jacquetta and Rucksack Readers
- Discount code for the listeners of the Tough Girl Podcast—use toughgirl for a 20% discount of all books
- Final words of advice for other women who want to go on more adventures and challenges around the world
- Mistakes and being afraid of getting it wrong.
- Get out there, make the mistakes, and be sure to learn from them.
Social Media
Website: rucsacs.com
- use toughgirl for a 20% discount off books - valid until 20th January 2027
Instagram: @rucksack_readers
Facebook: Rucksack Readers