37 Facts About Debra Searle

Debra Searle was born in Plymouth, Devon, on 8 July 1975 along with her identical twin sister Hayley Barnard.

Debra Searle attended Stover School, on the edge of Dartmoor, where she first started undertaking expeditions, including Ten Tors and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

Debra Searle studied for a BEd and graduated with 1st Class Honours and a number of outdoor instructor qualifications from De Montfort University.

Debra Searle was later awarded an Honorary MA by De Montfort University in 2004 and an Honorary Degree from Plymouth Marjon University in 2019.

Debra Searle taught at St Margaret's School, Exeter, Devon and then at Claremont Fan Court School, Esher, Surrey.

Debra Searle gave up teaching after founding The Well Hung Art Company Ltd in 1999 with two friends, which promoted the work of lesser known artists via the web and sold original fine art to the corporate market.

In 2004, Debra Searle closed The Well Hung Art Company to focus on her second company, Shoal Projects Ltd, which she had founded two years earlier with her twin sister Hayley Barnard.

From 2002 onwards, Debra Searle has undertaken a number of expeditions and adventurous challenges as detailed below and has worked as a TV presenter, mainly for the BBC.

Debra Searle is much in demand as a keynote speaker and has written and contributed to a number of books and newspapers.

For over 20 years Debra Searle has worked closely with Executive Boards of global corporations on leadership development and resilience, causing one British newspaper to place Debra Searle at number 25 in the World's top 50 'inspirational leaders'.

In 2024, Debra Searle stepped down from the company to focus on her expanding keynote speaking and leadership development work.

In 2018, Debra Searle founded Brave Girl Media after the story of her Atlantic Row was optioned by an LA based production company.

Debra Searle has remained in the Top 30 list for 5 consecutive years.

Always a keen sportswoman, Debra Searle represented her county in tennis and netball and represented the West of England in lacrosse whilst in her teens.

Debra Searle went on to gain a place in the Great Britain Dragon Boat Racing Team in 1998 for the European Championships in Rome and the 1999 World Championships in Nottingham, coming home with gold, silver and bronze medals.

Debra Searle continued on alone, arriving in Barbados after 111 days at sea.

Debra Searle had never rowed before signing up to row across the Atlantic.

Ben Fogle, the adventurer and TV presenter who rowed the Atlantic with James Cracknell in 2005 claimed to have been inspired by Debra Searle's crossing in his book The Crossing, written with James Cracknell.

Debra Searle's story is featured in the multi-award-winning film Row Hard No Excuses by Lantern Films, which was screened on PBS across the US in 2010 and 2011.

In 2004, Debra Searle became a member of the Pindar Ocean Racing Team.

Yachts and Yachting Magazine reported that Debra Searle was planning an attempt to become the first woman to sail non-stop the 'wrong way' around the world.

Debra Searle competed in a number of major sailing events on board Pindar Open 60 throughout 2005 and sailed on board Pindar in the Global Challenge Southern Ocean leg.

However the attempt was scrapped after Debra Searle was beaten to the record by Dee Caffari who set off on 20 November 2005, arriving back in the UK on 18 May 2006, after 178 days at sea.

Debra Searle was approached by the BBC Extreme Lives team with a view to making a documentary about her Atlantic row and subsequent expedition, the Yukon River Quest.

Debra Searle has presented more than forty programmes for the BBC as well as working for ITV, Channel 5 and Sail TV.

In 2003, Debra Searle was invited to be a Trustee of leading youth charity the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

Debra Searle started her own Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award whilst at school and completed it at university.

Debra Searle, who intended to lead the expedition herself, snapped one of her cruciate ligaments ten days before the expedition and was unable to attend.

Debra Searle cites that the accolades she received for her Solo Atlantic Row are ultimately a product of gender stereotyping, as 'her story wouldn't have even made her local paper had it been her husband who had continued alone and she who had been rescued'.

Debra Searle was nominated for the European Inspirational Role Model and Diversity Champion Of The Year Award in 2015, and National Positive Role Model Of The Year Award Nominee by the National Diversity Awards.

Debra Searle has a 'passion for demolishing stereotypes' and is a regular speaker on International Women's Day.

Debra Searle was a founding member of The Business Women's Network Forum, which is based out of Buckingham Palace and chaired by The Countess of Wessex.

Debra Searle recruited female leaders from major organizations such as HSBC and Google to come together to share best practice on Gender Balance in the Workplace.

Debra Searle married her first husband in 1999 and later divorced him in 2004.

Debra Searle has since remarried and lives in Plymouth with her husband with whom she has had two children.

Debra Searle was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2002 Birthday Honours.

Debra Searle was appointed Member of the Royal Victorian Order in the 2014 New Year Honours for her work with the Royal Family and The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.