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The Reset · Furnas, São Miguel

Five days.
Eight people.
One decision.

A private, application-only reset for founders and executive leaders carrying sustained responsibility. Built around the decision you’ve been avoiding.

Enquire about future experiences The shape of the days
Guests
Eight one closed cohort
On the island
Five days*
Where
Furnas, São Miguel
Entry
By application
Availability
October 2026 fully booked Future experiences

*Each experience is tailored to each cohort.

What it is — and isn’t

Not a holiday from your business.
A better environment to see it clearly.

  • Retreat

    Sends you home relaxed.

  • Mastermind

    Sends you home with notes.

  • Holiday

    A break from the problem. Not a way through it.

What it is

Five days, eight people, one outcome: you leave knowing exactly what to do next, and fully behind it.

Sustained pressure doesn’t just create stress. It quietly degrades decision-making — not through single bad calls, but through a slow drift of slightly worse ones, repeated daily. And the smarter you are, the better you are at defending them.

You did not reach the top by being wrong often. That is exactly the trap. You do not need more advice. You need the right conditions to make your decision. That is what the five days are built to create.

The method

Breathe. Move. Connect.

Clarity isn’t random. It is designed. Three levers, in a deliberate order — the body first, then movement in raw nature, then an honest room of eight. Each is there for a reason the research can point to — and each is led by a specialist.

Thermal water steaming at night, lit low among the ferns

01Breathe

Regulate the body first.

Wim Hof Method breathwork and cold exposure.

Sustained pressure keeps the body braced. Stressed physiology narrows perception and pushes you towards reactive choices before your thinking has had a say.

So the week begins below the neck. Guided Wim Hof Method breathwork and cold exposure, used as tools for nervous-system regulation — a deliberate return to the parasympathetic state, where clarity, calm and better decisions become more accessible. The thermal water does its part too: the physiological reset begins there, before the breathwork, before the cold.

“You can’t think your way to clarity in a stressed body. The body gets there first.”

In practice

  • Wim Hof Method breathwork
  • Cold exposure
  • Thermal hot springs

Led by

Samir JavedWim Hof Method — Level 3 Instructor

The evidence

5 min

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.

Balban, Spiegel, Huberman et al., Cell Reports Medicine, 2023

The science of the breath
Steam rising from the geothermal riverbanks of the Furnas valley

02Move

Let the body loosen the problem.

Somatic movement, yoga, and raw nature.

Restore the body’s capacity to regulate. Movement here is designed to slow thinking down, not to speed it up.

Somatic practice and yoga with Carolina Lino. Time on foot in raw volcanic landscape, and sound in nature with Jorge Valerio. The point isn’t exercise. It is giving your mind enough distance from the problem that it stops gripping so hard.

“Your best decision will not happen at your desk.”

In practice

  • Somatic movement & yoga
  • Walking in raw nature
  • Handpan & sound in nature

Led by

Carolina LinoYoga · Somatic Movement Jorge ValerioHandpan · Sound in Nature

The evidence

60%

Walking boosted creative output by around sixty per cent compared with sitting still.

Oppezzo & Schwartz, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 2014

90 min

A ninety-minute walk in nature measurably reduced rumination — the loop your brain runs when a decision won’t resolve.

Bratman et al., PNAS, 2015

The science of walking
The caldeiras at Lagoa das Furnas: mounds of volcanic earth where the cozido pots are buried, with steam rising from the trees beyond

03Connect

Decide in the right room.

Eight people with the earned right to have an honest conversation.

The more senior you get, the smaller your room becomes. Everyone is managing you instead of talking to you — and nobody on your organisation chart is incentivised to tell you the decision is wrong.

Here, the room is eight peers who carry the same weight. In guided sessions and decision councils, the coach brings the method and the room pressure-tests your thinking, asking the questions your usual circle won’t. You do the deciding. Then the table: cozido das Furnas, slow-cooked underground for six hours.

“Your next decision is only as good as the room you make it in.”

In practice

  • Guided sessions
  • Decision councils
  • The cozido das Furnas table

Led by

Rob PaynterExecutive Coach · Former C-suite executive · CBT

The evidence

6×

Across more than 1,000 major business decisions, the decision process mattered roughly six times more than the quality of the analysis.

Lovallo & Sibony, McKinsey Quarterly, 2010

Group intelligence is real and measurable — and has little to do with the smartest person in the room. It depends on how the group talks: who listens, and whether everyone gets a turn.

Woolley et al., Science, 2010

The science of the room

Between the levers

Sound, in the landscape.

Jorge Valerio’s handpan is the bridge between physical regulation and stillness, played outdoors, in the valley. And each day’s programme ends with Nuno Amendoeira’s sound bath.

Jorge ValerioHandpan · Sound in Nature Nuno AmendoeiraSound Healing

The evidence

Natural sounds lower stress and lift positive feelings. Water sounds showed the strongest effect on health outcomes.

Buxton et al., PNAS, 2021

The science of sound

The full arc

The reset is five days. The work is longer.

It begins before you arrive and continues after you leave. Calibration with Rob before; integration after. The five days are the centre of the work, not the whole of it.

  1. Today

    01 The conversation

    Tell us where you are and what you are carrying. The first conversation is about fit and timing, not logistics.

  2. 7–14 days before

    02 Calibration

    A private session with Rob to name the decision you are carrying and set your intention — so you arrive already pointed at what matters.

    With Rob Paynter

  3. Five days in Furnas

    03 The reset

    Breathe, move, connect, in that order — with the decision you named in calibration on the table.

    The shape of the days

  4. After you leave

    04 Integration

    A private calibration after the reset, so the clarity survives contact with your calendar. You only need to come once.

    With Rob Paynter

I have been to retreats before. I left inspired, made promises to myself, and then returned home to the same noise.

Tiago Cordeiro · Co-founder · Founder Series, Episode 03

The shape of the days

From first light to the last note.

This is the shape of a typical day in Furnas — a rhythm, not a timetable. Every cohort is tailored to the eight people in it.

  1. 01 First light

    Breath & cold

    The day opens in the body, not the inbox. Guided Wim Hof Method breathwork, then the cold — regulation before a single decision is discussed.

    With Samir Javed

  2. 02 Morning

    Movement in raw nature

    Somatic movement and yoga, then time on foot through the volcanic landscape. Handpan and sound in nature carry you out of the mental noise.

    With Carolina LinoJorge Valerio

  3. 03 Afternoon

    The work

    Guided sessions and decision councils with Rob. You put the decision on the table; seven peers ask what your usual circle won’t.

    With Rob Paynter

  4. 04 Dusk

    The water & the table

    The thermal water, where the nervous system stops negotiating. Then the table — eight people and nowhere else to be.

    Why Furnas

  5. 05 Nightfall

    Sound closes the day

    Nuno Amendoeira’s sound bath — Tibetan singing bowls and other instruments — closes each day’s programme. A space to pause, release and return to yourself.

    With Nuno Amendoeira

Illustrative only. The order, pace and content of each day are shaped around the cohort — and the weather on São Miguel.

A plate of cozido das Furnas, slow-cooked underground
Cozido das Furnas Cooked by the earth The most unhurried table you will ever sit at.

What’s part of it

Everything the week needs. Nothing it doesn’t.

Low timber cabins set against the forest at Furnas Lake
Furnas LakeYour base
  1. 01

    A closed cohort of eight

    Curated before anyone arrives. Nobody joins halfway; nobody watches from the side.

  2. 02

    Private cabins

    Tucked into the forest at Furnas Lake, with our partner Furnas Lake Forest Living. The sound of the forest, and the earth below.

  3. 03

    Five specialist facilitators

    Breath, movement, sound and executive coaching. Every facilitator holds a specialism.

  4. 04

    Calibration before and after

    Private sessions with Rob Paynter — 7–14 days before you arrive, and again once you are home.

  5. 05

    Wim Hof Method breathwork & cold exposure

    Guided by Samir Javed, our lead practitioner and a founding member of the Wim Hof Method in Australia.

  6. 06

    Somatic movement & yoga

    With Carolina Lino, whose specialism is somatic practice for high-performance professionals.

  7. 07

    Guided sessions & decision councils

    Structured time to put your decision in front of the room, with Rob holding the method.

  8. 08

    Sound in nature & the sound bath

    Handpan in the landscape with Jorge Valerio; Nuno Amendoeira’s sound bath to close each day.

  9. 09

    Thermal hot springs & Terra Nostra

    Geothermal water rising from deep below the valley, and ancient thermal pools in a subtropical forest.

  10. 10

    The cozido das Furnas table

    Pots lowered into the earth at the caldeiras; the week’s table is built around what comes out.

Pricing is shared personally, in conversation — we don’t publish a price. Travel logistics follow once your place is confirmed.

Begin the conversation

The container

No cameras. No audience. No record.

Honest conversation requires no audience. The moment a room can be recorded, people perform instead of reset.

Privacy is not a courtesy here. It is the condition that makes the work possible.

To protect the privacy and presence of our guests, participant faces are never shown in our content. One closed cohort of eight — no observers, no audience, only the people in the room.

The recordFurnas · A cohort of eight

Cameras in the room
None.
Observers in the room
None.
Who was there
What was said at the table
What you carried in
The decision
Yours alone.

Your data is handled with the same discretion we apply to everything else. Privacy & Data Protection

Who it’s for

Eight people who belong in the same room.

We curate each cohort carefully. The right fit matters as much to the seven others at the table as it does to you.

This is for you if

  • Founder or senior leader, 35–60
  • Making 6-figure+ decisions
  • High-performing but mentally saturated
  • You know your decision quality has quietly declined
  • Willing to step away from control for the full programme

This is not for you if

  • You are looking for relaxation or a traditional holiday
  • You are avoiding difficult decisions, not facing them
  • You are unwilling to engage in physical activities

Looking to bring your own leadership team? Private experiences are designed at the same standard.

How to apply

This is not a booking form. It’s a conversation.

The October 2026 cohort is fully booked. Enquiries are open for future experiences — one cohort per season, and a limited number each year.

Enquire about future experiences Book a 30-minute call
  1. 01

    You tell us where you are

    A short enquiry: who you are, your role, and what brings you to the neighbourhood. A few questions, not a dossier.

  2. 02

    We read it ourselves

    Every enquiry is read personally by the founders and reviewed with Rob Paynter, our executive coach.

  3. 03

    We reply within 48 hours

    To begin the conversation: where you are, what you are carrying, and whether this is the right room.

  4. 04

    We curate the cohort

    Each cohort is put together with care, one person at a time. When the cohort is set, calibration with Rob follows, 7–14 days before you arrive.

Questions

Asked plainly. Answered plainly.

Something we haven’t covered? Write to reset@theneighbourshub.com or book a 30-minute call.

The experience

Is this a retreat?

No — and the difference is the point. A retreat sends you home relaxed. A mastermind sends you home with notes. Neither sends you home certain.

The Reset is a private, five-day experience designed to create the conditions to make the one high-stakes decision you’ve been avoiding.

Who is it for?

Founders, CEOs and executive leaders carrying sustained responsibility: typically 35–60, making six-figure-plus decisions, high-performing but mentally saturated — and honest enough to notice that their decision quality has quietly declined.

It is not for anyone looking for relaxation or a traditional holiday, avoiding difficult decisions rather than facing them, or unwilling to engage in physical activities.

Who it’s for

How many guests are there?

Eight. One closed cohort, intentionally small, so that everything stays personal, focused and confidential.

How long is it — and what happens before and after?

Five days on the island — but the work extends either side of them: a private calibration session with Rob Paynter 7–14 days before you arrive to set your intention, and a private calibration after the reset, once you are home.

Each experience is tailored to each cohort.

Do I need experience with breathwork or cold exposure?

Breathwork and cold exposure are guided throughout by Samir Javed, a certified advanced (Level 3) Wim Hof Method instructor, involved with Wim Hof since 2010. What matters most is willingness — to step away from control for the full programme, and to take part physically.

If anything about your health or experience is relevant, tell us in the first conversation.

Is it physically demanding?

It is physical by design — breathwork, cold exposure, somatic movement, yoga and time on foot in raw nature. It is not the right experience for anyone who would rather not take part physically.

What will I actually leave with?

Clarity on the decision you came with — and the commitment to act on it. Nobody hands you an answer: the room challenges your thinking, and the decision stays yours.

That commitment is the point. Goals change behaviour when people are committed to them — and commitment grows when the goal truly matters to you and you believe you can deliver it (Locke & Latham, American Psychologist, 2002). Calibration names what matters; the room tests the plan until you trust it.

Rob also helps you leave with practical tools to sustain a stronger state of mind beyond the week.

Is it confidential?

Yes. No cameras. No audience. No record. One closed cohort, and participant faces are never shown in our content. Honest conversation requires no audience — privacy is the condition that makes the work possible.

Your enquiry is handled under our Privacy & Data Protection policy, with the same discretion we apply to everything else.

Will I have to give up my phone?

The days are designed with minimal stimulation and real time away from the noise — distance is part of how the reset works. Research the programme draws on found that four days immersed in nature, disconnected from devices, improved creative problem-solving by fifty per cent (Atchley, Strayer & Atchley, PLoS ONE, 2012).

If you need to stay reachable for something specific, raise it in the first conversation.

Practicalities

Where do we stay, and how do I get there?

In private cabins tucked into the landscape at Furnas — no hotel corridors, no lobby noise, just the sound of the forest and the earth below. Our cabins partner is Furnas Lake Forest Living.

São Miguel’s airport is Ponta Delgada (PDL); Furnas sits in the east of the island, around 45 minutes’ drive away. Logistics are shared personally once your place is confirmed.

Why Furnas

What does it cost?

We don’t publish a price. It is shared personally once we have spoken: each experience is shaped around its cohort, and the first step is making sure it is the right fit — for you and for the room.

When is the next cohort?

The October 2026 cohort is fully booked. We run one cohort per season and a limited number of experiences each year — enquire now and we will be in touch about future experiences.

Applying

How do I apply?

Send a short enquiry: your name, your role and what brings you to the neighbourhood. Every enquiry is read personally by the founders and reviewed with Rob Paynter, our executive coach, and we reply within 48 hours to begin the conversation.

If you would rather talk first, book a 30-minute call.

Can you design an experience for my team?

Yes. Founders and executives keep asking if we would design a private experience for their own circle. We will, at the same standard, for groups who value that standard — with a limited number of private groups each year.

Private experiences

October 2026 · Fully bookedLimited places each year

The next cohort starts with a conversation.

We respond to every enquiry personally within 48 hours.

Enquire about future experiences Book a 30-minute call

Or write to us directly — reset@theneighbourshub.com