What do big wave surfing and regenerative farming have in common?

What do big wave surfing and regenerative farming have in common?  

I just returned from a tiring, two-day trip to New York City, which included a mix of investor meetings and industry catch-ups.

I enjoy travelling for business very much. But the highlight was a fireside chat hosted by the Adventure Society at Fjällräven's EPIC store in SoHo, where I discussed the parallels between building simultaneously an asset management firm focused on regenerative farming and a big wave surfing team in Nazaré.  

I shared how rigorous risk management, decisiveness, adaptability, and staying power apply to navigating complex farmland deals and surviving two-wave hold-downs at Nazaré, and why regenerative grazing is not a romantic ideal, but a scalable, profitable strategy to transform conventional food systems. I also discussed the critical role of trust and communication at The Land Group and Red Herrings Nazaré and how my approach to physical and mental preparation for surfing has shaped my personal and professional life. I interspersed it all with a few stories about close calls at Praia do Norte, home to the world's biggest and meanest waves.

Thank you to the Adventure Society Juan Feeney Chris Holman and Juan Pablo Andrade for the invitation to speak in front of such a welcoming audience!

Francisco Roque de Pinho