The programme was built by the founders for themselves first — then each part of it was handed to a specialist. Five people, each holding one part of the week.
Who holds what
Five specialists. One sequence.
Clarity isn’t random. It is designed — and the design follows the order the body works in. Each part of the week is held by the person who specialises in it, so you never have to think about the method. Only about what you came to decide.
An honest room of eight, and a coach who brings the method — before, during and after.
The photographs beside each facilitator show the island, not the person. The quotes come from each facilitator’s own practice — not from a Neighbours Hub cohort.
Leads the reset at a physiological level. Cold exposure and breathwork as tools for nervous system regulation and sharper decision-making.
Our lead practitioner. A founding member of the Wim Hof Method in Australia, Samir has been involved with Wim Hof since 2010 and was the first person from Australasia to learn from him in person. He has spent more than a decade helping establish the method across Australia and Asia.
In Furnas, he guides breathwork and cold exposure designed to regulate the nervous system and support a return to the parasympathetic state — where clarity, calm and better decisions become more accessible.
You can’t think your way to clarity in a stressed body. The body gets there first.
Involved with Wim Hof since
2010
Credential
Certified advanced Wim Hof Method instructor
In the week
Breathwork and cold exposure. The foundation of everything — regulation at the body level, before anything else.
Why it is in the programme
5minutes
Five minutes a day of cyclic sighing (two inhales through the nose, one long exhale through the mouth) improved mood and reduced physiological arousal more than mindfulness meditation.
The breathwork was amazing. It was the first time for me doing the ice bath — Samir was very supportive. I survived and surprised myself by completing it.
I loved the whole experience. The facilitators were experienced, supportive and great communicators.
* Reviews of Samir’s own practice — not of a Neighbours Hub cohort.
Move
CL
02Move
CarolinaLino
Yoga · Somatic Movement
Ridge trail above a crater lakeMovement
Uses movement to support clarity and mental focus. Specialises in somatic practices for high-performance professionals.
Here, movement is not a workout. It is the second lever of the week: restoring the body’s capacity to regulate so the mind can follow — somatic work and yoga that slow thinking down rather than speed it up, set against the raw nature of the valley.
Your best decision will not happen at your desk.
In the week
Somatic movement and yoga, alongside time in raw nature.
Why it is in the programme
90minutes
A ninety-minute walk in nature measurably reduced rumination — the loop your brain runs when a decision won’t resolve.
Carolina gives you great confidence. The feeling was magnificent — goodbye stress, goodbye problems. You just let yourself go.
* Reviews of Carolina’s own practice — not of a Neighbours Hub cohort.
Sound
JV
The bridge · Sound & stillness
JorgeValerio
Handpan · Sound in Nature
Terra Nostra Gardens, FurnasSound in Nature
Uses movement and sound in nature to transition out of mental noise. The bridge between physical regulation and stillness.
By the time the body has been regulated and moved, the mind is often the last thing still running. Jorge’s work is the transition — the handpan, played in the landscape, so the move out of mental noise happens through the senses rather than through effort.
In the week
Handpan and sound, played outdoors in the landscape.
Why it is in the programme
Natural sounds lower stress and lift positive feelings. Water sounds showed the strongest effect on health outcomes.
Robert clearly draws on a wealth of experience. He has a wonderful coaching style and gave me the freedom and space to take the conversation where I needed to.
* Reviews of Rob’s own practice — not of a Neighbours Hub cohort.
The founders
Built by the founders for themselves first.
Two people from São Miguel who had watched sustained pressure quietly wear down good judgement — their own included. They researched what the highest performers actually do to sustain clarity, built a programme around it, and brought it home to Furnas.
Co-founder · London
Miguel Pestana
Former Google. 9+ years across management, economics and scaling operations in global consumer brands. Grew up on São Miguel.
Success was supposed to answer the question. It didn’t.
“I’ve spent the last decade in rooms where very capable people quietly admit they don’t know what they’re building towards anymore. Between those two facts is the whole idea.”
Founder Series · Episode 02
On why success wasn’t the answer.
Watch on Instagram
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